Author: Abigail Jefferies

Not nearly so hot today and there was quite a cold wind. I took the men for a route march this morning and later down near the shore for a bit. The place was simply alive with duck – they were there in thousands, also red shank and dunlins, and I saw one wildgoose but I expect there were plenty more about close by. My mouth watered for a gun.

About a thousand men marched into camp this morning, I don’t know what they were, but they were all oldish men and armed with the old pattern rifle. The majors were all old dug outs, too, so it looks as if they are for garrison work somewhere.

I had tea up in the town, and there was a concert in the camp this evening.

All off duty today because of the inoculation yesterday, but I don’t feel mine a bit.

We went up into the town this morning and sat about in the Nouzha gardens. In the afternoon we went down to Mese and had some good liver shakers on some donkeys there; they were very good little beggars and carried us well. I saw some natives fishing and they landed a couple of good fish while we were there; they looked like grey mullet. We walked back by the docks and there was a large transport full of Australians going away, and another one of our infantry unloading. There was a big shipload of natives, who had been on government work at Salonika and other places, disembarking and you never saw a more filthy looking view in all your life. The noise they were making was absolutely deafening, and they were being packed into open trucks and were going to be sent off to Cairo. We also saw a cruiser and a destroyer coming into harbour and a six-funnelled French cruiser landing – she was a funny looking boat. We dined up in the town tonight.

Took the men for a route march this morning, it was very hot. We brought them back by a banana grove, and it was interesting seeing great clusters of bananas growing. I saw a hoopoe there, the first one I’ve ever seen alive; he came and pitched fairly close to me and put his crest up – he was in glorious plumage. We saw hundreds of lizards of all sizes basking in the sun.

We had all our men and ourselves inoculated against Cholera this morning, there should be a second dose in about 10 days or so but I doubt if we shall be here. I’ve now been inoculated against Typhoid and Cholera and also vaccinated so ought to be everything but bulletproof.

I went up the town with Bradley this afternoon and changed a cheque at the Anglo Egyptian Bank. Met a most entertaining old rascal of a native who talked English quite well; he took us to an old native friend of his who tattooed a snake on my arm. It will be a lasting reminder of Egypt and the war, but I am a marked man if I’m ever “wanted” – but I hope that won’t be. The old boy gave us his card and showed us various testimonials given him by officers who had engaged him as guide to the Pyramids, etc. If ever we get any leave I think we must engage the old knave to show us round.

We had tea at the Mohammed Ali Club. Went back to camp and walked down by the marshes to the shore. I’ve never heard such a row as the frogs were making; the place was alive with them, having a grand concert. We didn’t stay down there long as the mosquitoes were thick.

Bradley’s servant brought us in a piece of bread (chapatti) made by the Sikhs in camp, it was disgusting eating – just like eating the sole of your boot. We could hear the bombardment of Sollum going on tonight – it is a Senussi stronghold. I believe the fleet are bombarding it, and by the sound of the strafing I shouldn’t think there would be much of it left. A most glorious sunset tonight.

I was talking to one of the subalterns of the Herts Yeomanry tonight, they are just back from the Western Frontier, and he showed me some of the bullets the Senussi were using against them. They were bullets for an elephant rifle, and they made them flat-nosed by cutting the ends off. He also had a silver ring which he had taken off a dead Senussi – he found some jackals devouring the fellow’s arm, and went up and found this ring on it.

It seems as though the hot weather has started in earnest as today was grilling. We took the men for a route march to Mese this morning and halted there for a bit before coming back; it was very interesting watching native fishermen casting their nets. I gave the men some semaphore from 11:30 to 12:30 and again from 2 to 3.

I had a good pile of letters to censor this morning as a mail goes out tomorrow. It seems as though we are going to have our work cut out as nearly every man is in love and he tells his lady that he intends to write to her every other day.

I took a few photos this afternoon. We found an old native with four or five camels, one of them a white one. He posed for a photograph and then came and asked for a “baksheesh”, the old scoundrel. We had to give him something. Any excuse is good enough for a “baksheesh”.

I can now manage to spout out a few of the commonest Arabic words and seem to be understood fairly well. Took my photos up to the town to be developed this evening, one hardly ever goes up a street without seeing a fight going on, and all within sight always seem to find a excuse for joining in, but they never seem to do any real damage to each other.

We’ve been worrying tin hats again about being sent on to our batteries, and hope to hear something in a day or two. They say our division (52nd) – also the 53rd and 54th – are under orders for France, but it may not be for a month or two yet. I think there is very little chance of a scrap out here now, except against the Senussi on the Western Front, and the African troops are busy finishing them off.

Houghton brought me an anklet which he had got off a native woman’s ankle this evening; an interesting thing to have, they all seem to wear them.

I think the prophecy about seven days bad weather is wrong as today was boiling hot. We walked down by the docks this morning and saw a big transport, the “Transylvania”, coming in simply packed with troops.

Went up the town this afternoon, it seems very hard to imagine it’s Sunday seeing all the shops open and everything going on as usual. Went into the Casino for a bit this evening, there was a sort of variety show going on there, not wildly exciting, all in French. We dined at the Rosette Dancing Cafe, a very low haunt, but it seemed well patronised.

Took a gharri back to camp. Another gharri drove out of a side street right into us but did us no harm – thought it caused much excitement and swearing between the two drivers.

There was a shower of rain for two or three minutes this morning, it was rather nice and freshening.

The R.A.M.C. have got a monkey for a mascot; whenever anyone goes near, it runs out of the tent and climbs up onto their shoulder. It tried it on with me this afternoon, but when I saw one flea appear on my hand, I’d had about enough.

I hope they won’t keep us waiting about here much longer.

Another baking day. I saw the “Karoa” leaving harbour this morning, I hear she is taking some troops to Salonika. I spent most of the morning hustling various tin hats on the telephone, trying to get orders to go on and join our batteries. Eventually I was told that we shall be moving on in a day or two.

Had a lizard hunt in our tent, but they escaped; one big one about eight inches long ran up a tree close by, and I suspect we shall get him later.

I tried a piece of sugar cane this morning; you see all the natives chewing it, but I shan’t have any more – beastly sickly sweet stuff. Wrote home today, I believe a mail is going tomorrow.

No order for us to go on yet.

I went up into the town this morning with Bradley to get one or two things. This afternoon all three of us took a gharri and went to see a native catacomb. An extraordinary sight, it is an underground burial place, and you can see all the tombs of the old kings and queens and their families. You can look through a little hole in some of the tombs and see the bones. We went and had tea at the Union Club and then took another gharri with a pair of grey arabs and drove to the Nouzha gardens; they were very pretty indeed, and there was also a small zoo in them. Our driver tried very hard to sell us one of his arabs, but there was nothing doing. We dined at a funny sort of restaurant place in the town and then had a look at the Casino, but it was rather a rotten show.

I hope they won’t keep us hanging around here long, as there is nothing for the men to do.