7th Bn AIF, Diary Transcript

[frev]

For those who are interested, especially Marina & Andrew - below is a copy of my great uncles diary - not kept day to day - but written more like a letter.

But first a few details: his name was Andrew Thomas Gordon CUMMING, and he was the brother of my paternal grandmother. He had been born and raised in country Victoria, Aust - but his parents were originally from Sorbie in Scotland.

Having been in the Victorian Rangers for a few years, he was a natural to join up as soon as war boke out. So he enlisted in the 7th Bn on the 19/8/1914 at the age of 24. The 7th boarded the SS 'Hororata' at Port Melbourne on the 18/10/14.

His diary only takes us to Egypt, and if he kept another it never got sent home. He was in the original landing at Gallipoli, but didn't survive the wounds he received at Lone Pine - and died on the hospital ship 'Devanah' on his way back to Alexandria on the 12/8/1915 - he is buried at sea.

My experiences on our journey from Broadmeadows Military Camp, Victoria, Australia.

On Oct 17th 1914 after nine weeks military training all heavy baggage was packed and placed at the top of each companies lines in the Battn and was taken away the same day. The following morning revellie was sounded at 5.30am for all soldiers to turn out and at 9am operations were in full swing preparing companies lines for cleanliness before departing and leaving every-thing in a good tidy condition. At 9.30 the bugle sounded fall in, and in a few seconds all troops were lined up at attention with rifles & kit bags on the right side of every man. We were marched out on the parade ground where we formed Battn and ordered to stand easy. In the cause of a few seconds the band struck up and with the order took our departure from our old military camp mid cheers from our comrades who was coming the following day.

The day was warm and although it was only a mile to the station there was a good deal of persperation lost during the quick march for every man was fully equipped. We arrived at Port Melbourne about 10.45am and great cheers were exchanged by spectators on our short railway journey to the pier. Each company marched individually up the gangway till two Battn's were aboard and about 12.30 all troops were ready for our long voyage numbering 2,400 men and 180 horses, so you can guess the quantity of stores and horse feed that was necessary for this number besides four thousand tons of coal and three thousand ton of frozen meat, the boat itself weighed about twelve thousand tons. It was her first trip back home, she came out about eight months ago with a load of cargo and immigrants.

Troops were seated at their messes each holding from 16 to 18 men, Attention was ordered by the captain who read out rules and regulations and method of practice in event of fire or attack by the enemy at sea. By this time the troops were rather restless and waiting anxiously for the old familiar dinner call. After dinner the troops minds were greatly occupied inspecting every portion of the boat for it was a big contrast to what we had just left that morning. It was just 3pm when the bell sounded and the vibration of the engines could be felt on the rails then the remark was passed by many "we're off". In the cause of a few minutes we could slowly see ourselves departing from the pier where photographers were standing turning machines for Biograph pictures. We steamed out about two miles where we anchored all night, at 8pm hammocks were drawn and hung in the messes where hooks were arranged, great trouble and laughter was caused by men hanging their hammocks on wrong hooks and some went flying out as soon as they lay down, but after a few nights gradually got right.

It was 8pm Monday Oct 19th when we started on our voyage and although we steamed steadily along at the rate of eight knots an hour, Melbourne was soon a speck in the distance and there was hardly a rock in the vessel for the water was as smooth as glass. The sea air seemed rather heavy and more so when the Great Australian Bight was reached and some of the lads got a bit squeamish but when we reached Albany, W.A. on Sunday 25th Oct where we anchored they began to recover.

On the following morning Oct 26th the brief news rang through the boat that one of our comrades was missing and had apparently fell overboard the previous night. Searching operations were carried out but without success, he was very popular in the seventh Battn, his name being O'Marah. [J.A. O'Meara DACC at sea 26/10/14]

By this time most of the troopships were anchored around us and safeguarded by a strong convoy at the entrance of King Georges sound. On Tuesday evening 27th we steamed into the pier for a supply of fresh water but no troops were allowed off and sentries were posted day and night to prevent men from escaping, although one man tried but was captured by the guard and fined 2 pounds by the Colonel for his trouble next morning. We came out from the pier and anchored while some of the other boats got water on Wednesday 28th.

On Sunday Nov 1st 1914 the fleet started for Colombo which is four thousand five hundred miles from Albany, it was a fine sight to witness as there was thirty eight troopships and seven gunboats, we travelled three abreast with our convoy all around us to a distance of about twenty miles. We experienced rough weather in the Indian Ocean and many of the lads began to feel seasick and after a day's rough weather you could find them in every corner of the deck and amongst them there was pitiful pictures, but after a few days most of them began to recover and when Colombo was reached sea sickness was a thing of the past.

No doubt many people are under the impression that this voyage is a great pleasure trip to us troops but I can tell you it is not as sweet as it is honey looking under the circumstances. We had a few medical over haulings for instance innoculation in both arms which was by no means considered comfortable, and also vaccination which most of you know the feeling of and cannot describe it as a feeling of eating strawberries and cream. At the time we may have thought it unneccessary punishment but a lot of us never cast a thought to the benefit we should gain from it if Cholera, Fever or Smallpox broke out on the battlefield where it is likely to happen. Many of the troops made great objections as to those two slight operations, but when cautioned consented, all but one man who strongly objected and was sentenced to 98 hours in irons and all pay stopped and if I know rightly he was dismissed.

Enough for now - I need a cuppa!

Cheers, Frev.

[robbie]

Many thanks for this, Frev.

Next instalment?

Robbie

[BeppoSapone]

Hi Frev

Any mention of a Private Victor Bannerman?

[Andrew P]

Great to see this Frev.

Cheers

Andrew

[frev]

Any mention of a Private Victor Bannerman?

No, I'm afraid not - but you can request his Service Record on line - if you haven't already got a copy. Afraid he doesn't get any special mention in the unit history either. Is he a relative?

The story continues:

At night we travelled with all lights out after 9pm and on Nov 9th about 9am we noticed a great change in the fleet, for all troopships slackened down and the gunboats changed their positions at great speed and we knew full well that great danger was dancing not far away and that the enemy was probably sighted, but did not know anymore till we received particulars by wireless next day and this was the message.

At 7.30am Nov 9th 1914, the cruiser Sydney started for Cocos Island and at 9.30am sighted a German cruiser travelling at full speed and was able to get in range in twenty minutes, at the same time sending out signals that the chase was speeding north. At 9.45 Sydney was engaging the enemy briskly and at 11.10am the latter had to beach herself to prevent sinking. The Emden opened fire first but her first four shots fell short. The Sydney putting on an extra hundred yards to their range, her first shot landed amidships and after that she swept the Emden's deck masts and funnels, guns and gunners over into the sea.

The Sydney asked her to surrender but she would not and firing again commenced, the Sydney for the third time asked her to surrender for humanity sake but she replied "come and take us", then seeing it was a last hope tried to ram the Sydney but without success and had to beach herself to avoid sinking. The Syney then took after a German collier, took the crew off and sank her. The Sydney then returned to the Emden who surrendered, the crew was found to be in a terrible condition as some had one leg and arm missing, other with brains and kidney's protruding and the doctors gave them morphia to put them out of their misery.

Out of a crew of 450, only one hundred and fifty survived, about forty escaped on to the Island, the Sydney's crew wanted to go after them but luckily the Captain insisted on them remaining, for the enemy had entrenched and had two Maxim guns waiting for the crew to come after them. Next morning they escaped from the island in a schooner and went to Batavia and as they were not armed they were not gone after.

On examination of the Emden the Captain of the Sydney discovered a torpedo jammed in the tube caused by the Sydney's shot dinting it. It was a great secret of Germany's and which Britain would have probably given half a million of money for. The Emden's Captain when informed of this replied that he would sooner have sacrificed every mans life by blowing it out, than have had it discovered, and I may say this fine capture is a great credit to our cruiser Sydney. After this she sailed to Colombo with the prisoners where she was anchored when we arrived looking none the worse for this deadly engagement. She will be repaired at Malta and then take her pace of honor at the Kiel canal.

The weather was growing warmer every day for we were nearing the equator and Thursday Nov 12th we crossed the line and dipping operations commenced. Nearly all the troops experienced being thrown in a canvas vat filled with water and covered with ashes from the stoke hold and they looked fine pictures, myself included.

We arrived at Colombo Sunday Nov 15th and during this part of the voyage many interesting lectures was given by Chaplain Miles, these lectures principally concerned Ceylon and views were shown of beautiful surrounding scenery. Colombo has a fine harbour and many strange sights were witnessed during our short stay. We took in five hundred tons of fresh water which was pumped from boats, each holding twelve tanks containing six hundred gallons, this took about twelve hours. Troops were greatly interested with the Chingalese who were poorly clad and of a very black nature. We saw very few white people here, all the work being carried out by Coolies, the Chingalese have many fishing boats which is made out of the coconut tree, even it sails is made from the leaf of this fine tree.

The evening we sailed out of the bay was a fine one and which we are not likely to forget, for the beautiful golden sunset over our fleet after the hot day gave the town a brilliant appearance and as darkness pierced the light, many different coloured lights shone brightly over the sea and also five searchlights were throwing their rays over the boats in our fleet five miles away.

About 8pm Tuesday Nov 17th we were sailing full steam ahead for Aden, which is about two thousand mile from Colombo and had an exceptionaly smooth sea on this run, the weather was very warm although it is considered the coolest part of the year.

On Nov 18th we passed a portion of the west coast of India which appeared very mountainous, and on the 20th Nov passed Sokotra Island [suqutra] which was of a similar nature. We arrived at Aden Nov 24th where we again anchored and I cannot by any means describe Aden as being a pretty town, for it is hard to consider any town hamsom [handsome] situated on the fringe of a dreary desert such as Aden is. It is also considered very unhealthy as it is infected with fever and other diseases all the year round. We took in coal at Aden, which was carried in bag's up the gangway by about one hundred natives who had to work very hard in the heat, which appeared to have little effect on them as they had hardly any clothes and no hats on, but some of them spoke fair English.

We took our departure from Aden Thursday morning about 6.30am Nov 26th for Port Said, and after a couple of days sailing, the weather got a bit cooler. On the evening of the 26th we passed through "Hells Gates" into the Red Sea, also passed Perrim Island which is well fortified and is the key to the Red Sea, this Island was once a Turkish pocession which was taken by the British many years ago. We also passed many Indian troopships on their return voyage to India for more troops.

On Nov 28th Head Quarters received word stating that we were to land in Egypt to finish our training and from there proceed to the front.

To be continued .........

[robbie]

Frev,

I really enjoyed the account of the sea battle with Sydney and Emden. Nothing quite like a real eyewitness account, is there?

Robbie

[robbie]

Here's a picture of the Emden after the battle with Sydney.

There is an interesting account on this website:

http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/GermanWW1LightCruiserSMSE.html

Robbie

[marina]

Frev, this is great. He's got the gift of telling the story. Had me quite sea sick in the first installment - and falling out of hammocks!

The sea battle was good too, as Robbie says. And what a contrast there is between the cruisers and big ships and torpedoes and the Chingalese'coconut' boats.

What is a Chingalese?

When 's the next installment?

Marina

[pompeyrodney]

Hi Frev and Robbie

Thanks for sharing this with the forum. Loved the Sydney Emden battle as I served 22 years in the Royal Navy myself. The description of the voyage bears quite a resemblance to my own grandfathers description. Thanks for the picture of the Emden Robbie, it sure looks a mess. Do you have any details of its armament, being a cruiser I would imagine 6" guns would be the main armament. Keep up the good work Frev, its good to know I am not the only one getting RSI!!

[pompeyrodney]

Hi Marina

Chingalese should in fact read Cingalese and means a native of Ceylon, or Sri Lanka as we know it now. Hope this helps.

Regards

Jules P

[marina]

Ah, all is clear. Thanks!

Marina

[frev]

Hi guys,

Just got home from a big day in at the Vic State Library (transcribing data from micro-film for my research) - and have to go out again in an hour or so, but will try to get my fingers going again when I get home later tonight.

Thanks for the pic on the Emden Robbie - I've been fascinated by that ship ever since I first read Andrew's account years ago. If anyone is interested in reading more about it - the book "The Last Corsair, The Story of the Emden" by Dan van der Vat is an absolutely brilliant read.

As to it's armament Jules, my memory is pretty hopeless, but I'll look through my book when I have time, and let you know. As to the RSI - it's in my eyes at the moment, at the moment, at the moment (blurred vision!)

Amongst the newspaper clippings Andrew has stuck in the back of his diary is a poem about the sinking of the 'Emden' written by an Aussie gunner. I'll type it up at the end.

Till later, Frev

[frev]

More of Andrew's story:

On December 1st we arrived at Port Suez which is at the mouth of the canal and have only two days more sailing when our long sea voyage will end. Leaving Suez Dec 1st we moved slowly into the canal where the scenery was lovely, the township looked a very pretty place and a busy one, I only saw a few white people as we sailed past. We travelled at the rate of five knots an hour through the canal. The railway from Suez to Port Said runs along the edge of the canal, between the railway and the canal is a couple of rows of pine and palm trees but beyond this is nothing but a sandy desert and the same on the other side. Along the canal there is some of the finest telegraph stations one could wish to see, being about fifteen miles apart. At various points the canal is protected by Indian troops who were well entrenched.

We arrived at Port Said on Dec 1st at 11pm, the journey through the canal taking about sixteen hours, after we anchored there they started to take in more coal, taking eight hundred tons in five hours. While there the natives were very busy selling fruit and lollies, also a boat load of French people who played some very fine music. Leaving Port Said on Thursday Dec 3rd we arrived at Alexandria Friday morning 4th ..12..1914, taking twelve hours to do this run. We anchored in the bay till Dec 5th when we went into the pier and started to disembark, the sixth Battn going first.

On Sunday, the seventh [bn] left and trained to Cairo, thirty being left behind to clean up the boat. As soon as all troops had left the boat, we started to clean up, first all hammocks and blankets had to be gathered and rolled in bundles of twenty five's. Next all dishes had to be gathered and the lot packed neatly away down the ships holds, and after all this had been done the boat had to be swept and scrubbed from stem to stern, this had to be done to the satisfaction of the ships Captain. Finishing Monday afternoon Dec 7th at 3pm, a tug came out to take us in to the dock where we caught our train to Cairo, arriving there at 10pm and as we were only a small party, we were taken to camp by tram. Arriving there at 1am 8th Dec where we found the rest of our comrades rolled in a blanket on the sand fast asleep. We were rather unfortunate as it was so late we could not get a blanket, so we had to make the best of our great coats for the remainder of the night, or rather morning.

On Tuesday Dec 8th revellie sounded at 6.15 when a busy scene met the eye, for the camp was just stirring for its day's work. After breakfast we all fell in and marched out past the Great Pyramid "Sheop" [Cheops] to the Sphinx, where we were photographed and then dismissed and given three hours to look round. And a good few of us climbed the Pyramid which took us about half an hour to do, for it is four hundred and eighty one feet high and was hard work for us just coming off the boat.

Now I will give you an account of our doings and pastimes during our long sea voyage of seven weeks. You know quite well that this voyage was different than if we had been travelling under ordinary circumstances, the first and foremost amongst so many troops was cleanliness, and this was given with great satisfaction, and by means which was arranged to continue throughout the whole days of our voyage on the SS Hororata. At every mess two men were told off as orderlies who drew all rations, also the washing up, scrubbing and tidiness of their mess for a week, when two more went on. Every day at 10am every portion of the boat was inspected by the Captain of the boat, our Colonel, Doctor and other officers, and if not satisfactory would have to be done again. I do not think I am likely to forget my week on this, for it was one of the hottest we had and sometimes I thought there would only be a grease spot of me left, and was not sorry when the week was over. We spent most of our idle time in reading or playing games which we had a great variety, which was given to us before we left Australia. Also plenty of boxing among the troops for a small side wager, and some good contests resulted and helped to fill the time on our long voyage to help the Motherland.

The first few days we did not do much training, but as soon as we got settled down, training started in real ernest. Every day we have different work to do, sometimes digging trenches and having bayonet charges at an imaginary enemy, which all helps to make us fit and ready to join our comrades at the front.

Now for a bit about the surroundings of our camp and town life of Cairo. Our camp is situated on the fringe of the Great Sahara desert, nothing but rocky ridges and sand hills as far as the eye can see on two sides of us, on the other are the Great Pyramid overlooking us like a sentry. Every four days we get leave to visit Cairo, but have to be in camp again before eleven at night, for if we are out later we get our leave stopped for a week or two.

Cairo is one of the most historic cities in Europe, and also one of the dirtiest, that is away from the main part, Opera Square it is called. There is many fine buildings to be seen and many interesting places to visit, if you get a good guide, and one that can talk English and explain everything. Among the first is the Zoo where one can spend all the afternoon and then not see it all. It is far above the one in Melbourne, and a lot better laid out. Wild animals of all descriptions, from a common fox to an elephant and monkeys by the hundred. Birds of all kinds, millions of them even to a white crow which they got in an African forrest.

Next is the Museum where it takes about two days to see and then not see the same thing twice. There is a lot of mummies of Egyptian Kings who died hundreds of years ago and now lay at rest in glass cases, also many relics of by gone years that have been dug out of the buried city at Silver Plateu, just behind our camp at Mena, where we are not allowed to visit, for they are frightened we would steal some of the things they have found in it. For one room at the Museum is nothing but cases of jewels of dead and gone Kings and Queens, and would cost a mint of money to buy it from them. In another room is skeletons of animals of every description and fairly gives one the creeps to see for they are all bones and are kept in their place with fine wire.

Well, not much more to go (unfortunately)

But I'll leave it for another day

Cheers, Frev.

[frev]

Do you have any details of its armament, being a cruiser I would imagine 6" guns would be the main armament.

Jules,

Info on the Emden from "The Last Corsair":

"Displacing some 3,600 tons, the ship was 387 feet long and just under 44 feet wide, with a draught of about 17 1/2 feet. Two-thirds the length of a typical capital ship but less than half the width and lying rather lower in the water, ships of this category always gave a distinct impression of elegance, even delicacy. The delicate impression, despite her armament, was not altogether false. Her conning tower was protected by four inches of armour-plate; for the rest, she had an armoured deck two inches thick amidships. Her main armament consisted of ten 4.1-inch (10.5 cm) guns, two forward, two aft and three set into each side, giving two broadsides of five guns each. She was powered by two standing triple-expansion engines of three cylinders each, with a total of twelve boilers that could withstand a maximum pressure of 227lb. per square inch, yielding a top speed of 24 knots. Her forward-sloping bow was a survival of the days when ramming was an important part of theoretical naval tactics;and she burned coal. Her tragedy was that she was out of date before she was launched, compared with her British contemporaries, which out-classed her in guns, armour, speed and range."

"But she did at least possess the Great Equaliser, the torpedo, fired from two underwater tubes placed transversely to fire broadside-on on either side. She normally carried five 17.7-inch torpedoes with a range of some 11,000 feet."

"The range of her guns, which could each fire sixteen shots per minute out of a normal stock of 150 rounds per gun, was about 13,500 yards."

Sorry - I got a bit carried away - I'll highlight the answer to your question, so it won't get lost in the detail!

Cheers, Frev.

[frev]

Andrew's story comes to an end:

On Dec 20th 1914 the Seventh Battn marched into Cairo to take part in the claiming of the protectorate of Egypt by Great Britain and the Sultan's accession to the throne. Leaving camp at 6am we went away quietly so as not to wake the camp and arrived in Cairo at 9am, where we lined the street at Government House with the English tommy, and after the Sultan passed we marched back to Kasr il-Nil Barracks where we had lunch, before returning to camp in time for dinner and after that went back to bed.

On or about Jan 3rd 1915 Sir George Reid paid us a visit at Mena to welcome us to Egypt and introduce us to General Sir John Maxwell, the General who is in charge of all the forces in Egypt, and then took the salute in the march past in front of the Y.M.C.A. Building, which took about an hour to do and in which I hope and trust we all upheld the good name of Australia.

Cairo is full of the most unscrupulous people in the world and some would do you for your last penny, in parts it is nothing but filth, dirt and loose women of which there is hundreds, and how they can live there in such filth is beyond me. It is while in there on duty that we can see the benefit of innoculation and vaccination which a few of the troops objected to having done, for Egypt is a place where disease is never absent and never likely to be if they are left to throw rubbish down where they like. But in Opera Square it is just the reverse, everything is kept spick and span and it is a pleasure to spend a few hours in, and every shop tries to beat the other in cleanliness and comfort.

Not far from our camp is many tombs which we have visited and were found to be interesting to us, paying a small piastra to a guide to tell us about them, at the back of the Pyramid is a buried city which is being excavated by natives, and many old relics and coins are found by them, but we are not allowed to visit it. It was buried years ago by a volcano and is now known by the name of Silver Plateau, on account of its silvery appearance, and over which we have done a few days training.

On Wed Feb 3rd we received word to pack up as we were leaving for Ismailia to meet the oncoming Turks. Leaving Mena about 10am Wed 3rd, we marched to Cairo where we trained for Ismailia, the eighth Battn going away first as we had to load all our things we wanted. Leaving Cairo at 6.30pm Wed, we arrived at our destination at 1.30am Tuesday [Thursday] morning. We did not go far away from our lines in the day time as we expected a call to the trenches any time, but it did not come.

We had a march through Ismailia which is the prettiest place we have seen to date. Along the edge of Lake Timsah is one of the most beautiful sights one could wish to see, for it is all gardens in one mass of different kinds and colour of flowers, and are well kept and looked after. The inhabitants are mostly French and Greek and a few English who come here to miss the English winter, for here the sun is always shining. Everything is clean and tidy with most beautiful garden around the houses. Away in another part of the town is the tumble down native quarters and of a similar nature to their homes of Cairo.

For the nine days we were here we had to lay to arms every night and sleep with our clothes on ready for a call any minute, but it never came. On Fri Feb 12th we packed up and returned to Mena, our old camp among the sand ridges, leaving Ismailia at 7am we passed through some of the best land we have seen in Egypt, where there is miles and miles of cultivation of Cotton and Sugar cane, and I can tell you it is a good sight to see green fields after a dreary desert. About half way from Ismailia is what looked a fine town and a very big one named Zagazig, and in which we saw many troops mostly Gurkhas. We arrived at Cairo about midday Fri 12th and marched back to Mena, where we will stop, waiting for our next call which we all hope will soon come and give us a chance to show what we are made of. In one way we were not sorry to get to Mena, for we were able to get a change of clothes and get our boots off to relieve our feet.

Saturday 13th being our holiday, we took the opportunity of visiting Heliopolis where the second forces are in camp. The first place we went to was Luna Park but it was closed, as we afterwards found out it only opens three times a week. We next went to the skating rink where we put in about three hours skating for a couple of piastas before returning to town. On the edge of the town is one of the finest buildings I have seen in Egypt, it was a few months ago known as the Grand Royal Hotel, but is now turned into an Hospital, where some of the nurses from Australia and New Zealand carry on their good work for the sick and wounded. It is a five story building containing close on a thousand rooms with about five acres of ground round it. All this ground has been turned into a garden which is one mass of flowers, well looked after and cared for. The town is only a small one being practically a new one, for everything has a new appearance and a good few of the shops and so on are not finished to take the natives right through they look a lot cleaner than the ones in Cairo. [?]

Returning to Cairo by tram which does the ten mile journey in fifteen minutes, we spent an hour or two there before leaving for Mena.

And that I'm afraid - is that!

Except for the newspaper clippings that Andrew stuck in the back of the book. From these I'll type up the Emden poem & anything else of interest next time.

I hope you've enjoyed reading it, as much as I've enjoyed sharing it.

Cheers, Frev.

[marina]

I have indeed! Thanks a lot for sharing that with us all,

Marina

[Andrew P]

Thanks Frev. Very interesting descriptions of events.

Cheers

Andrew

[frev]

Some of the clippings from Andrew's diary:

THE BALLAD OF THE EMDEN.

(By an Australian Gunner)

It was the cruiser Emden.

That sailed the Indian sea.

The captain had taken an Austrian Prince

To bear him company.

Blue was the sea they fought upon,

Red was the blood they shed;

Black were the deeds they meant to do,

Grey was the sky o'erhead.

Then from a distant shore there came

A knell to her career,

The cruiser Sydney was its name,

Of the breed that knows no fear.

West lay the coast of Africa,

East was Australia fair

North lay the land of India,

And south our fleet lay there.

With shot and shell they rent the air,

Forerunner of death in lead:

Two hundred of the Emden's crew

And two of ours fell dead.

It was the cruiser Emden,

They left a burning pile:

Sad were her men as they left her bulk,

But the Sydney's crew could smile.

And we made those Germans prisoners:

Their duty they had done,

But a juster cause than theirs was ours,

And the victory we had won.

And so his Serene Highness,

And the Emden's captain too,

Have learnt by sad experience

What the Southern Cross can do.

We captured a prize from Germany,

And there's reason for our pride:

As the sons of Brave old England,

Her enemy we defied.

But credit them with honour:

They have their duty done.

They failed, but from the victors

Keen sympathy they won.

Mena Camp, Jan 23rd 1915

[The Austrian Prince the poet refers to, would have been Sub-Lieutenant Franz Joseph Prinz von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen - a nephew of the Kaiser - he was one of the Emden's torpedo officers.]

A couple of interesting newspaper clippings - I don't know what papers they actually came from - probably one of those sent to the troops from Australia:

AUSTRALIAN SOLDIERS

CONDUCT IN EGYPT

GERMAN PRESS REPORT.

The conduct of the Australasian and Canadian troops now in Egypt has been referred to in the German press.

On Monday the "Frankfurter Zeitung" published an extract from a letter stated to have been sent by a diplomatist at Cairo to Constantinople. It reads:-

"Brilliant life is being carried on at the best Cairo hotels. All the Canadian and Australian military officers brought their wives with them. The officers are drawing two and a half times their ordinary pay as civilians. There are great balls at the hotels, sometimes brilliant and sometimes developing into regular orgies. The officers' ladies have requisitioned all the motor-cars which belonged to the Egyptian Princes and Princesses now abroad, and are parading about in them and making the population angry."

OUR TROOPS IN EGYPT.

COMMENTS IN CAIRO PAPER.

Referring to the troops from Australia and New Zealand, "whose tents cover much space near the Pyramids," the Egyptian weekly newspaper "Miser," published at Cairo, states:-

"All these soldiers are young men, full of health and energy, and most of them look men of good families, while the manner in which they spend their money indicates that they belong to wealthy families. A private soldier is seen eating in the best restaurants, going about in a motor-car, and never bargaining for what he buys.

"We do not exaggerate matters if we say that their presence has helped many merchants. Without taking into consideration the meat, vegetables, bread, and fruit they consume, small traders make money from them, principally the itinerant fruit merchants, who sell them a sweet lemon, or a small apple, or an orange, or ten dates for a small piastre, while sellers of illustrated postcards charge them ten piastres (2/) for a dozen, while the real price does not exceed 15 milliemes (three small piastres). The lemonade seller at Heliopolis is said to make 2pound a day clear profit.

"The conduct of these troops is beyond praise. We have seen them while in the Mataria train cheer the passengers of the Heliopolis tram running close to them, and some have learned the word 'Saida', with which they greet those they meet in the street."

Cheers, Frev.

[marina]

Interesting view on charges for things at the markets!

Marina