{"id":242,"date":"2016-03-14T14:52:28","date_gmt":"2016-03-14T14:52:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/ww1digitaldiary\/?p=242"},"modified":"2016-06-01T14:52:41","modified_gmt":"2016-06-01T13:52:41","slug":"14-march-1916","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/ww1digitaldiary\/2016\/03\/14\/14-march-1916\/","title":{"rendered":"14 March 1916"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/span> 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.<\/div>\n
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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.<\/div>\n
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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<\/span>, etc. If ever we get any leave I think we must engage the old knave to show us round.<\/div>\n
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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<\/span>. We didn’t stay down there long as the mosquitoes were thick.<\/div>\n
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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<\/span> going on tonight – it is a Senussi<\/span> 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.<\/div>\n
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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<\/span> 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<\/span> – he found some jackals devouring the fellow’s arm, and went up and found this ring on it.<\/div>\n