Diary of Frederick William Gadsby Annand, 1916 - Part 2

JANUARY, 1916
Monday, 31
Carried on works at Kedonables &
building scoops &c.
Finished wharf on west bank
wrote to Doug & Geoff. Sent
Geoff 3 photos. Neptune &c.
FEBRUARY, 1916.
Tuesday, 1 Sent Segt Major to Cairo to get
Hart from detention barracks. Lt Webb to
Port Said re stores for Canteen &c.
Got orders to move to Ferry Post tomorrow.
Commenced clearing road from punt
landing & resetting bank.
Lt Tolley sent to confer with A.M.C. re
washing water supply & destruction of
manure. He laid out site of new
well & for retaining bank on canal.
Wednesday, 2 Moved Camp to
Ferry Post.
Tolley & 2 men rode up & la pegged
Camp site
Polsen took road forty of 3 four-wheeled
waggons, leaving on at EINGHOCEIN.
Coy & gear left Serapeum on Barge 34.
(Lieut WISE) at 1205.
Met Lieut Col Elliott C.R.E & got
all gear except vehicles out of the
bender & up to Camp in the
daylight.
Got letters Xmas love from home.
Nell's No 4 & Geoffs No 3 also from
Rob & Jean. Kneecaps Mrs Sankey.
 

FEBRUARY, 1916.
Thursday, 3 Settling in Camp -
Rode around position with Lt. Col Elliott CR.E
& Lt. Col Clarke, 30^th Bn Found the defences
extremely badly sited, & barbed wire in trenches
affording cover to an attacker.
Received 2 prs socks & letter from
Peggy Robinson.
Friday, 4 Arranged to improve bn
pontoon bridge by making hinged lifting
bags & in other ways. Also to make ferry punt
& piers to transport an R.E material across
Canal.
Sergt Major London returned from
Cairo.
Lieut. Webb commenced
unloading timber from
S.S. Britannia at Ismailia
FEBRUARY, 1916.
Saturday, 5 Heavy rain at night.
Tolley commenced laying
Decauville ridings at shores
on west bank, & jetty building
jetty to deep water & Polson
started on East bank. Idea is
to work pontoon rafter between
to get RE shores over. Polson to
put Decauville into RE yard
Heavy rain. I camped
in Ambulance Cart -
Sunday, 6 Evans & I surveyed
2 steam locos in canal bank
about 1½ miles north, &
concluded it could be
repaired within one week
if some material supplied.
Arranged build Kitchens at Divn
Hd Qrs.
Offered to get Decauville
across canal at 2 miles a
day, given  Infinty loading party of 100 m
CRE accepted offer.
Offered to provide divers to raise sunken
waggon too. The CRE replied that canal people
had arranged to do it.
 

FEBRUARY 1916.
Monday, 7 Ferried 1½ miles of
Decauville track over canal.
Some work on bridge.
Ambulance waggon jumped the
bridge, also a single timber.
C.E asked us to put bridge in
good repair.
Commenced survey of locos by
our mechanics. Evans & I
went went to Canal Key shops see
about spare parts. Wrote Peggy Robinson
Tuesday, 8 Accompanied Col. Elliott to
barge (pontoon) & consulted with Webb re repair.
Met Brig General Leslie & Lt Col (Rly Engineer)
& conferred with them & Evans re running
Decauville track into R.E yard & to Rly terminus.
The General & Col. approved our suggestions (which
had not been favoured by Lt. Col. Elliott).
I suggested to Genl Leslie that A.S.C landings shd
be made north of the bridge & the present
top road and extended to there on easy
grade & widened for passing.
Genl Leslie said to 'mark time' on the
steam locos till he found out whether they
can be purchased reasonably.
Continued work on jetties & tracks & started
repair of bridge, strengthening & stiffening it.
FEBRUARY, 1916
Wednesday, 9 Webb & Hardy reconstructing
ponton barge. Tolly on raft. Polson on
jetty & tram to R.E yard &c.
I met Col Elliott & General Leslie & discussed
order of bridge & ferries with them & O/C
Bridging train. Recommended an
improvement of approaches to Ferries.
Transported more Decauville track over to
east banks.
Evans sick with attack of malaria.
Posted to Nell letter No 5 & 20 films (a lot
of poor ones from Red Sea included.
Thursday, 10 Completed Pontoon Bridge.
Great success.
Reported that 2 steam locos are
un capable of being first in good
running order in just few days.
Lt Col Elliott informed me that
he had told General Legge that he was
very pleased with the way Coy had
worked since coming to Ferry Post & the
work that have been done.
Suggested Ride over the post with
CRE brig Genl Paton &
Rode up to North end with
the C.R.E & Capt. Rowan Hamilton
 

FEBRUARY, 1916.
Friday, 11 Rode around the post
with C.R.E, Brig Genl Paton & Capt
Hamilton Sited line of new
trenches as recommended by me.
Evans took over supervision of water
supply.
Drew back pay.
Started infantry levelling the
old quarries.
Saturday, 12 Started infantry
on new trenches.
CR.E wants more rafts to convey
stores over Canal.
Suggested circular service of
our tow jetties.
Accompanied C.R.E. to Ismailia. Saw
Genl Leslie Arranged for 2 dhows 8 am
Sunday for Ferrying.
Sent 8 old boats on SW Canal 18x6
& good dinghi AFIA.TEIA∆A 12 ft
∑ ∑ V also two barges for [[?]]
barge 68-DKD   Diagram - see original
Major Gould called (2 xx Sig Coy)
Paid men 2 weeks.
FEBRUARY, 1916.
Sunday, 13 Easy day.
Rode to Ismailia, calling at Naval
Bridging Train Camp & ordnance got
2½ notes. Leance Shepherd in Cairo
hospital. Had drink at Club.
Drew £5 pay.
Got letters from Elsie & Day &
Courier of 24 ocar from Nell.
Wrote to Rob, & sent prints of
WEbb'si trenches & negatives of
Transport Suez; Rly Stn Suez; Loading my Camel;
Crossing canal; Rly Guard; Crossing Canal.
Monday, 14 usual transport over
Canal & work on Ferry improvements,
also water supply & comforts at D.H.Q
Moved my tent & commenced the
erection of tent-sapped dwelling. 
Slept in Evan's tent.
 

Dried flowers - see original
 

FEBRUARY, 1916.
Tuesday, 15 Much as yesterday.
Lot of rain. Moved into my new tent
habitation. Lent E £1 to Smart
Fined Carrey, L/C Alexander, & 3 others
for absence W/L.
Suggested new jetties & C.R.E said
to go ahead if I could get material.
Got the old fore & apt craft brought
around from near Ismailia.
Got letters from home No. 5 from Nell.
No 5 from Geoff, also from Jean & Nell (a
short one)
Wednesday, 16 Routine & jobs as usual.
Complaint by A.SC as to transport.
Evans, Sears (Inf) & I walked into
Ismailia at night, had drink at Club & went
to poor picture-show.
close & Polson went to Cairo.
FEBRUARY, 1916.
Thursday, 17 Got a letter from Rob
& 3 photos.
Frank Fielding, Segt in 26^th Bn
called. Invited him to dinner
on Saturday.
Friday, 18
Shifted 2 Decauville steam
locos from West to East bank
of Canal & up road to the
railway terminus.
 

FEBRUARY, 1916.
Saturday, 19 Loaned two Put
2 steam locos onto ramp ready
for loading.
Other routine & general jobs.
C.R.E asked me to select from Coy
about ¹⁄₃ of personnel requested to
form a new Fld Coy.
Said I had a splendid Coy
Sunday, 20 Put locos on tracks.
Went out to Divl. Hd Qrs to see site of
observation posts for Divl staff.
Went to Ismailia in afternoon &
spoke to Major Griffiths & Genl Leslie.
Wrote to Nell N^o 6. Sent Pay agent
[*recd*] form for militia pay, photos by
Tolly & 8 films:- At the Ferry.
Gathering manure; Camel Corps; Sultan
Hassan Mosque; Sikh Mules, Suez; Sally & I; Landing
Suez; on he Ferry.
Col. Elliott asked me to select about  ¹⁄₃ of our Coy
to form nucleus of a new Fld Coy for 3rd Divsn. Also
to recommend an officer for Captain of a Coy.
FEBRUARY, 1916.
Monday, 21 Busy
Tuesday, 22 Busy
 

FEBRUARY, 1916.
Wednesday 23 Col Elliott
going to Cairo & leaving me
temporarily in charge as
acting C.R.E.
Thursday, 24 Went out to D.H.Q.
& lunched there. Met Col Sutton
Had a talk to Genl Legge as
I am acting C.R.E. also had
interviews with others of the
Genl Staff. General very concerned
about the water supply.
Saw Major Manning as to the
distribution of water.
FEBRUARY, 1916.
Friday, 25 Went out with Corpl Bosl
& Evans in Motor Car to try out the
pump & pipe line. Got water past
Div Hd Qrs before parking of a valve blew
out. Lt. Col Mackworth called. He
asked Burns transfer to Sig Services.
Got letters N^o 6 from Nell, N^o 6 fm Geoff,
Doug & Lill Robinson.
Tolley made progress with well
near Art lines.
Saturday, 26 On pipe line in
Car with Capt East & Evans.
Had afternoon tea with new CRE
at Div Hd Qrs.
Sang at concert at a Ml, a good
show. Col Sutton there.
 

FEBRUARY, 1916.
Sunday, 27 Got water to Rail
Head under good pressure. Also
got it on about ¾ miles on the
3" on the right.
Had a fresh car. Undertook to
get reserve & other water service
established at Rail Head by Wednesday
night & at Reserve Camp by Friday
night. Got letters no 7 from Nell,
No 7 from Geoff & from Doug.
Monday, 28 Evans & Hd Qrs Section
went to Railhead to erect water
service. Sent out 2 square tanks
Saw Col Blainey re Pioneer Bn.
Tolley reports well making 1200 gals
per hour.
Col. Stacey brought two Brig
Generals to inspect our
incinerator which they highly
commended & will take for
a model
Wrote home to Nell. No 7 — and
FEBRUARY, 1916.
Tuesday, 29
[*cd*]
Sent films in N^o 7 "Crossing Suez
Canal", "officers' mess", "Road cutting", "Camel
Train", "Bridge cut for Suffolk"
"Sinking Syphon pipe", "Unloading stores". & 2
spoiled ones.
Capt Coen came from Anzac Hd Qrs to
enquire as to water supply. Showed him
progress of Tolleys well. Also took C.R.E to see
it. Promised 8000 gal per day by Saturday.
Major (Dr) Butler called with Capt Brown to see
our Incinerator &c & asked for drawings of both
types which he thought splendid. He is DDMS
& wants to instal the all round.
Saw message stating I am recommended
for command of the new Pioneer Bn.
Saw a fine display by
4 Aeroplanes, clever show}
of 'banking' &c. one just}
skimmed over top of big}
Cunard transport.}
Currently display for benefit}
of large party of Egyptian}
notables at GHQ}
{*}shd be on next day's page*]

MARCH, 1916.
Wednesday, 1 Went out to Div Hd Qrs &
received instructions to organise Pioneer
Battalion. In afternoon Evans & I went
in to Ismailia & I saw Major Griffiths at Army
Hd Qrs who said my appointment to command
Pioneer Bn was approved subject to right to
recall me to Engrs if required; also that Evans
promotion to Capt was going into orders.
Call at Club -
Saw Col Ferguson & asked for Proctor as Sig
Corporal. Proctor called & seem glad
to get it.
______________________________________________
Thursday, 2 Went out & rode
along front line visiting
5^th & 6^th Bde Majors re the
men & officers for Pioneer Bn.
Lunched at D.H.Q. also afternoon
tea share. Signed regns for more
equipment.