The 28th: A Record of War Service in the Australian Imperial Force, 1915-19 Part 4

During the early months of the A.I.F's. stay in Egypt, the Military Police, a newly const.i.tuted force, incurred the dislike of the bulk of the troops. This dislike engendered an antipathy which endured until the end of the war. In the first instance there appears to have been some reason for it. The police were not selected with sufficient care, and included a number of men whose actions, to say the least, were shady. On several occasions decent and well-behaved members of the Battalion were received from the police cells, bereft of their money, much bruised and battered, and accompanied by a charge sheet accusing them of crimes which one moment's consideration would show they could not have committed. Strong representations on these matters had no immediate effect, but ultimately the Provost Corps was purged of the bad element and became a body of experienced men of great value in the prevention or detection of crime and the regulation of military traffic.

So far as could be learned, the men of the 28th had no part in either of the disturbances. In fact, so uniformly high had been their standard of behaviour that it had come under the notice of Sir John Maxwell, who sent and asked the Battalion to supply picquets for duty in the disturbed area. This action rather raised the resentment of some units and created a certain amount of ill-feeling. So acute did this become that on one occasion the Battalion of its own volition was on the point of "standing to" with entrenching tool handles to repel a threatened raid. However, common sense prevailed and good feeling with the men of the Eastern States was soon re-established, but not before the t.i.tle "J----'s Own" had been conferred upon the Western Australians.

With the complete mobilisation of the Brigade the number of chaplains in the camp was brought up to four. Services were held in the huts every Sunday morning, attendance at which was compulsory. Dean Brennan identified himself with his flock. The Rev. J. H. Neild, so long as his health endured, was a.s.siduous in his desire to help all who sought his aid. The Presbyterian chaplain, the Rev. W. J. Stevens, had served in the ranks in the South African War. He was very earnest and direct in his addresses. He inclined towards mysticism, and spoke much of the "Angel of Mons." Otherwise he knew men well and was later noted for his activities during the Brigade's stay on Gallipoli. The Anglican chaplain was inclined to dogma. Very early he gave an address, "Why I believe in the Church of England." As no one was interested in the subject he rated his audience for its inattention, and thereafter ceased to exercise any influence amongst its members. In France he recovered some ground and did good work, amongst other things, in the organisation of inst.i.tutes and coffee stalls behind the lines.

FOOTNOTES:

[E] These troops were commanded by Major-General Sir Alexander Wilson, K.C.B., who was Military Commandant in W.A., 1895-98.

[F] Composition of 7th Australian Infantry Brigade--

Headquarters. 25th Battalion. 26th Battalion. 27th Battalion. 28th Battalion. 2nd Signal Company (No. 3 Section). Brigade Train (No. 17 Coy., A.A.S.C.). 7th Field Ambulance.

Strength:--149 officers, 4,403 other ranks, 529 horses, 8 machine guns, 52 bicycles, 7 carts, and 94 wagons.

CHAPTER IV.

FIRST STAY IN EGYPT.

(continued.)

As has already been stated, the Battalion was quarantined for 14 days after its arrival at Abbasia. To find amus.e.m.e.nt during that period was a problem. At first the immediate environment produced some distraction.

The hawkers and their cries, the arguments between contractors and labourers, the labour gangs at work, the habits of the crowds of scavenging kites, the Yeomanry exercising in the desert, the Egyptian Army recruits drilling in front of their barracks in time to drums beating at 140 a minute, and the circus-like performance of the Arab grooms taking remounts to and from water, all helped to pa.s.s an idle hour or two. Occasionally there was a visit from a little party of juvenile acrobats, who gave exhibitions of their prowess in return for "baks.h.i.+sh." One visitor was a youth of about 12--an extraordinary caricature, suffering from ophthalmia and dressed in various ragged and dirty portions of uniform. He laid claim to the name of "Saghen Mechenzi" and had an uncanny knowledge of the rifle, which he handled like a guardsman, and defied all attempts to confound him. Another and more welcome visitor was a youth of French extraction, who sold very fine picture postcards at a reasonable rate and would also undertake commissions for purchases in the city. Victor displayed unexpected traits of honesty and on being questioned thereon replied--"My father is French, he is honest, therefore I am honest." Nothing more could be said.

To relieve the monotony of the period during which no leave could be granted, it was decided to arrange a route march through the city as far as the Citadel walls, halt there for rest and return in the cool of the evening. During the afternoon of Sunday, the 11th July, the Battalion in drill order, and without rifles, set out led by a guide and preceded by Victor mounted importantly on a white donkey. According to the map the total distance to be covered was about ten miles, but owing to detours necessary in order to avoid the narrow streets the Battalion actually traversed some 14 or 15 miles. The heat was considerable, and a number of men fell out on account of the sickness which was very prevalent at this time. However, there was much to be seen. Palaces and hovels, magnificent hotels and humble coffee houses. Strange people and stranger costumes. Weird sights, sounds, and smells. Some streets no wider than our back lanes, teeming with people, filth, and squalor, and every window, doorway, or hole in the wall with something in it for sale. Veiled women and shuttered upper windows in the better cla.s.s residential quarter hinted romance to those who had read the adventures of the Khalif. A wedding procession, and, again, a funeral procession were pa.s.sed. The effect of the first was unusual, and the music that accompanied it had a mournful touch not noticeable in the second. The native police along the route were most attentive and cleared the way on every occasion. The traffic was considerable--mostly pedestrian, but with electric tramcars, donkeys, and horse gharris in large numbers.

After one or two rests on the way, the Battalion at length came to a halt on an open s.p.a.ce under the ma.s.sive west wall of the Citadel. This place was to become better known later on, but on this occasion curiosity and interest were subordinated to the desire for cool drinks and rest. About an hour later the return march was commenced and camp reached some time after dark.

On the 17th July the quarantine restrictions were removed. A system was inst.i.tuted whereby 25 per cent. were able to leave camp after evening parade on week days, 12 noon on Sat.u.r.days, and 8 a.m. on Sundays. Leave was usually commenced by tours within the city and visits to the Mouski for the purpose of purchasing gifts for the people at home. Here western methods were copied by some of the shopkeepers, and a sign which read--

SUCCOUR SALE, DRAPERIE HIGH LIFE

suggested that bargains might be hoped for. Gharri drives were popular but some men, with humane feeling, were averse to being hauled by a beast almost too poor and degraded to be longer termed a horse and one which, in our own land, would have received the attention of the S.P.C.A. The drivers of these vehicles cleared their way through the pedestrian traffic by cries such as "Ya meenuk" (To the right), "She maluk" (To the left), or "Owar riglak" (Mind your legs), repeated incessantly.

Donkey rides seemed to provide a certain amount of amus.e.m.e.nt. The beasts were hardy, and it was no uncommon sight to see two or three Australians trying the speed of their mounts down one of the main streets--enthusiastically encouraged by the donkeys' owners.

Occasionally donkey and rider were facing in opposite directions. When tired, the soldier could go for rest to the Club established in the open air of the Esbekieh Gardens by the Australian Red Cross Society and Y.M.C.A. Here, comfortable seats, meals, and music could be obtained.

Other places were picture theatres, and the "Kursaal" and "Casino" where variety entertainments were given nightly--mostly by French artists.

Some very good turns were to be seen at the Kursaal, the popular favourite being a soprano, Mimi Pinson, who could bring the house down by her rendering of "Two Eyes of Grey." At the Casino the audience sat about at tables and consumed cool drinks whilst listening to or watching the performers on the stage. The feminine element predominated here, and there was an air of friendliness about their open glances and conversation at first somewhat bewildering to the unsophisticated. The officers, in their peregrinations, made free use of the large hotels--such as "Shepheard's" or the "Continental," and the various clubs such as the Italian and Ghezirah Sporting Clubs. Shepheard's Hotel had been placed out of bounds to all but officers. Various reasons for this step were suggested. What, however, is believed to have had a good deal to do with it is the fact that during dinner on one occasion a rather stout and pompous senior general, sitting at table with his wife and daughters, was very affectionately greeted, embraced, and kissed by an hilarious youth from the southern seas.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE WALL OF THE CITADEL.

From which the Mameluke leaped. The twin minarets are those of the Mehemet Ali Mosque.

_Photo. by Sergt. Arundel._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE GREAT PYRAMID.

_From the plan by C. Piazzi Smyth._]

At the commencement of all tours guides were offering freely, and were often required. They were of two kinds. The genuine type was usually a graduate of one of the educational inst.i.tutions, and would arrange and conduct, more or less satisfactorily, any expedition--were it to visit the Cairo Museum, the Pyramids and other monuments, or to go duck shooting near Alexandria or gazelle hunting in the Fayum. The other type of guide hailed from somewhere at the back of the bazaars; he was loudly importunate, proclaimed himself as named Macpherson, Abdullah, or Johnson, and stated that he was "d.i.n.k.u.m." The possibilities with him seemed extensive. Anyone who employed this kind of person, and expected to have a kind of Arabian Nights entertainment, returned richer by his experience but, usually, unless he was very very careful, with the sensations of having just emerged from a garbage pit.

The Australian's interest in Egypt was immense. He had no marked admiration for the existing inhabitants, but his reading had given him an insatiable longing to know more of the ancients and their great works. He let no opportunity, therefore, escape him of viewing and studying the monuments which had withstood the ravages of time for so many centuries. Various expeditions were arranged by bands of friends who, after engaging a dragoman, would often pool their resources in order that the day might be as pleasant as it was instructive. As a rule the first expedition was to the great Pyramids at Gizeh--distant glimpses of which can be obtained from points not far from Abbasia.

Situated about eight miles from Cairo, the route to this objective lies through the city, across the Nile bridge, and along the delightful causeway said to have been built by the Khedive Ismail for use by the Empress Eugenie during her visit on the occasion of the opening of the Suez Ca.n.a.l. On arrival at the village, camels and donkeys are used to traverse the stretch of heavy sand which intervenes between the road and the plateau upon which the Pyramids stand.

The Pyramids are three in number, but vary in size. The largest is that of Cheops, the second that of Chephren, and the smallest that of Menkaura. The tomb of Cheops attracts all visitors and, once having been "done," any curiosity in regard to the remainder is, as a rule, entirely lacking. There are two ways of "doing" it. One is to climb up the exterior to the summit, and the other to go inside and visit the King's and Queen's chambers. No ordinary individual has the strength to achieve both in the one day. The visit to the top gives the better result in a magnificent view of Cairo, the Nile, and the surrounding desert, but gaining this involves a climb to a height of 451 feet by means of the several courses of stone, each course being about three feet high; nor is the descent very much easier. To inspect the interior it is necessary to first ascend about 30 feet to the entrance. Here, on the occasion of the Western Australians' visit, were met the guides or caretakers attached to the place. Bedlam instantly broke out. All wanted a job or "baks.h.i.+sh." Some grabbed the soldiers' sticks, others their boots and leggings. After much remonstrance, and an occasional hard knock or kick to some too enthusiastic native, the party, in its stockinged feet, eventually pa.s.sed within the entrance. The pa.s.sage was narrow, low, steep, and extremely slippery. With an Arab to each hand--as a precaution against a nasty fall--the soldier, breathing a muggy atmosphere, sweating at every pore, and filled with repulsion at the close proximity of his yelling conductors, made a crab-like and painful progress through darkness over the 220 feet of distance to the King's Chamber. This apartment, viewed by candlelight or a flare now and then from a piece of magnesium wire, does not present, beyond some carvings on the walls, anything of great interest.

After a brief rest the party retraced some of its steps and visited the Queen's Chamber, situated lower down. Here it was necessary to have another breather, and at this stage some Arab evinced a desire to foretell the fortune of anyone who would listen to him and, of course, produce the necessary monetary encouragement. Finally, the open air was regained, perspiration ceased to pour, and with luck it was possible to recover those portions of clothing left behind when entering. Now thoughts were directed to the Pyramids Hotel at Mena--noticed earlier in the day--where, under the shade of trees, tables were set and lunch could be obtained, together with much good and cool English ale.

Sometimes the parties had enough energy left to first pay a call on the Sphinx, which is situated about 300 yards distant from the great tomb.

Very few thoroughly explored this relic of the ancients, but its great antiquity, alleged by some authorities to date long prior to the creation as fixed by the Christian calendar, and the riddle a.s.sociated with it, demanded that everyone should at least go and gaze on its face for a little while. Here it was customary to submit to the camera man.

Many photographs were thus secured which, when posted, were of great interest to the friends at home.

The next place of interest was the site of the City of Memphis--the ancient capital of Egypt--and its necropolis at Sakkara. Memphis was reached either by train or donkey ride from Cairo, or by a ride of about two hours across from the Pyramids at Gizeh. Of the city itself nothing is left to mark its ancient magnificence except the two giant statues of Rameses II. However, the country between there and Gizeh is one vast cemetery containing the tombs of the notables. The most conspicuous of these is the Step Pyramid--the oldest of such and the resting-place of the body of King Teheser. Less conspicuous, but more interesting to the newcomers, were the Apis Tombs, which contain the sarcophagi of 24 of the Sacred Bulls. These sarcophagi, complete with lids, are of an immense size--each weighing some 65 tons. Near by are the tombs of Ptah-hetep and Ti, in which the rich and well-preserved mural decorations give a very full representation of the life and habits of the inhabitants of the city in their time. Other interesting remains, some Greek and some Roman, were also to be seen, but by this time the average Australian had had enough for one day, and turned to the means of getting back to the more congenial surroundings of the modern city or camp.

[Ill.u.s.tration: VIEW OF CAIRO FROM THE CITADEL WALLS.

The Sultan Ha.s.san and Khedivial Mosques in the foreground.

_Photo. by Sergt. Arundel._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE MOQATTAM HILLS.

Showing the quarries and the Causeway leading to the summit.

_Photo. by Sergt. Arundel._]

Having seen so many of the tombs, parties took an especial interest in the Cairo Museum, wherein they inspected wonderful statuary; mummies of men, women, cats, dogs, monkeys, and crocodiles; also coffins and other relics going back in origin, some of them, to a period nearly 4,000 B.C. The jewellery, said at one time to have been worn by Queen Cleopatra, attracted much attention, as did also specimens of boomerangs--a weapon which almost every Australian had thought was peculiar to his own country.

Time did not permit of visits up the Nile to the ruins at Luxor, Thebes, Philae, and Karnak, so the programme of viewing ancient remains had to be somewhat restricted. Consequently little was now left to do except to visit Mataria (about four miles north of the camp), view the Tree and Well a.s.sociated with the Flight out of Egypt, and then proceed to the obelisk near by, which marks the site of the old Heliopolis--the City of the Sun.

Other and more modern buildings and structures, connected with the early Christians and the Saracens, are plentiful in Cairo, and to these the visitors now turned. Chief amongst them is the Citadel, the erection of which Saladin began in A.D. 1166. From its walls a fine view of the city and its environs can be obtained. To the south the Aqueduct built by the Saracens comes under observation; and near by, on the east side, the Moqattam Hills--scarred by quarries and surmounted by a fort from which Napoleon silenced the guns of the Citadel. Within Saladin's walls are to be seen Joseph's Well--some 300 feet deep; the costly mosque of Mehemet Ali with its dome and twin minarets; two or three smaller and older mosques; and, on the wall, the hoof print of the escaping Mameluke's horse.

Opposite to the main entrance to the Citadel, and without the walls, are two mosques of unusual size. One, the mosque of the Sultan Ha.s.san--noted amongst other things for its wonderful arches, doors inlaid with gold, and a cannon ball still sticking in the wall facing the hills which bear Napoleon's fort; the other containing the tombs of the Khedivial family and distinguished by the richness of the decorations and inlay of sandalwood, ebony, silver, and ivory.

Mosques and shrines in Cairo number nearly 500. There is plenty to see in this respect, but after a few of the princ.i.p.al ones, including the Blue Mosque of Ibrahim Agha, had been inspected, and similar calls paid on some of the old Coptic churches, interest waned and the soldier, looking for a change, sometimes turned to the Roman and Arab remains in Old Cairo and Fustat, or else visited the Tombs of the Khalifs and Mamelukes on the edge of the desert. Here he was, perhaps, successful in obtaining genuine souvenirs of the "Dead City."

[Ill.u.s.tration: CAIRO AND ENVIRONS]

Apart from short trips on the Nile, per steam dahabiyehs, two other excursions must be mentioned. One was to the Island of Roda to view the spot where the infant Moses is alleged to have been found by the Pharoah's daughter; and the other by tram or gharri along the Mena Road to the Zoological Gardens. This inst.i.tution is said to have been one of the many extravagances of the Khedive Ismail. The visitors greatly admired the grounds and also the fine collection of the larger African animals.

Driving back in the evening from the Gardens, the soldier was able to see Cairo taking the air under the shade of the lebbok trees and observe the wealthy and official cla.s.ses in their carriages and motors. He was not slow to notice the arrogant air of the Egyptian male aristocracy, accompanied as they often were by rather fleshy ladies of foreign origin. Nor did he fail to feel impressed by the neat and wholesome appearance of the few British ladies who took exercise on this highway.

With the exception of two days at the beginning of August, when Cairo was placed out of bounds owing to the rioting, and the 12th to 14th August, when the Festival of Bairam was being observed, sight-seeing went on at leave periods during the whole of the Battalion's stay in Egypt.

On the 16th August the Battalion, when carrying out a night operation in the desert, was recalled to camp and ordered to proceed the following morning to garrison the Citadel. At 7.30 a.m. on the 17th August the 28th, leaving the transport behind under a small guard, commenced the march to its new home which, after a trying time in the heat, was reached in due course and quarters found in the various blocks of barracks. These quarters, it was discovered, were alive with vermin, necessitating the whole Battalion being set to work for several hours in an attempt to clean the place. Iron bedsteads and pallia.s.ses were available for the use of the troops, but as the pallia.s.ses also showed signs of life very few were used. After Gallipoli was reached an account for 40 of these iron bedsteads, which the unit, it was inferred, had taken with it or disposed of in some other unlawful manner, was received from the British authorities. Needless to say it has not yet been paid.

The C.O. was, for the time being, the Commandant of the fortress which was the home of the ordnance stores and reserve of ammunition of the Army of Occupation. Besides the British and Egyptian staffs to work these, there were other troops within the walls. These included details of the 2nd Mounted Division, recently embarked for the Peninsula; British and Indian General Hospitals (both full); a hospital for convalescents; a detention barracks; and about 40 Turkish Officers under guard as prisoners of war. Amongst these prisoners was a major, a nephew of the Senussi, who had been visiting Constantinople at the outbreak of war and found himself immediately requisitioned for a tour through Arabia for the purpose of promoting a holy war against the English.

Himself an Arab, who had always looked upon Great Britain with friendly eyes, he undertook the mission rather unwillingly. In course of time he joined Djemal Pasha's army approaching the Ca.n.a.l and was finally captured by its defenders.

Owing to the large numbers of men required for special duties, all training, except that for the section, platoon, and company, had to cease. What little was done was carried out in the barrack yards or else, in the early morning, on the top of the adjacent Moqattam Hills, which was reached by a kind of causeway running up through the quarries.

The duties consisted of providing guards and sentries for the various gates of the Citadel; guards on some of the hospitals and detention barracks; and patrols which had the unpleasant duty of traversing the highways of the city for the purpose of preserving order and looking after the interests of the army and the men on leave.

Existing orders did not permit any civilian to enter the gates of the Citadel unless provided with an official pa.s.s. The enforcement of this order caused some dismay amongst the women from the neighbouring houses who had been in the habit of visiting the Citadel stables for the purpose of obtaining material for the manufacture of fuel, which was a scarce commodity with them. The ladies' method of explaining their mission was clear, if not delicate, and brought a blush to the faces of the sentries on the Moqattam Gate.