Diary No.7 of Rupert Major Downes, 25 August - 12 November 1917 - Part 1

DIARY. N0.7.
25/8/17 - 12/11/17.

181 PIT 2  7.

CALENDAR For 1915.

CALENDAR For 1916.
 

25.8.17 to
12.11.17
N^o₂ L.T.  162.
[[ldl?]] 
Please return to
Colonel R.M. Downes
Australian Headquarters
Cairo
or
H.Q. Desert Mounted Corps
or
Mrs R.M. Downes
Catton
Punt Rd
South Yarra
Australia Melbourne

25.8.17 Stayed in all day working
& pretty stiff; walk c̄ Beattie
in evening
26.8.17 Sunday. Dawson arrived
in a.m. & talked largely c̄ him
all morning. In aft. rode over
to inspect Notts battery R.H.Q. c̄
Dixon. Yarned c̄ Dawson in
evening
27.8.17. Worked & talked c̄ Dawson
in a.m. Parry in. Same in aft.
till rode over to see the Clyno
motor bike in evening while
Dawson went to 4^th L.H.F.A. Farr
in in evening.
28.8.17 Got letter from D. (10) from
Samarang of 13/7/17, from Father
Helen, Mrs Robb, Eileen Hamilton & Allen
to 9/7/17. Very nice too & read
them till late.

20.8.17. In office all a.m. Rode
up to see Chauvel who had toothache
c̄ Genl Trew. Dixon & Hercus in
- Dawson seedy
29. 8.17. Dawson got Diphtheria
so pushed him off by hospital
train at midday to El Arish.
Rode over to Rest camp later in
aft. & had yarn c̄ Cave
30.8.17. In office all day; finished
writing to Jock & wrote to D
10 & posted .one copy. Bombardment
in evening at 2115 & there has
been a fair lot since yesterday
afternoon. Work fairly quiet
today.
31.8.17. Worked in office all day
& went for ride c̅ & walk c̄ Jarman
in evening.
1.9.17. In tent at work all a.m 

& talked c̄ Fulton. Ride in evening
to draw pay & went to see Trickett
at his camp.
Sunday
2.9.17. Rode over to Rest Camp in
am. c̄ Fulton & stayed for a short
time. Conference in aft. about
Rest & Convalescent camps c̄ Chauvel,
Powles, Y.M.C.A man (Owens) Trew,
Fulton & self which was fairly
satisfactory but the old man
is against me going up to Cairo
& Port Said as of course I ought
to - mightn't like it (Tommie people).
New Genl- Staff Brig Genl (Howard
Vyse) turned up 2 days ago & saw
him today - seems a Gooey but
must have friends I suppose.
3.9.17. Spent a lot of time
packing up for move & worked
well. Bed early. Wrote Howse. 

4.9.17 Up at 0430 for move &
left our nice picturesque camp
at 0700 & marched up to the new
place at advanced H.Q. looking
like a travelling circus. Rode
out c̄ Dixon to see a new amb.
just in- 7^th - Mounted Fld Amb -  from
Salonica & a useful looking lot.
Then went & had lunch at
4^th L.H.F.A. c̄ Fowler who looked
very sick & ran into Storey.
Had a Malaria meeting &
discussion in aft. c̄ about
26 officers there & it was very
interesting & stimulating.
Not much work in evening
as tired.
5.9.17. Wednesday Cable from
Doris dated 3^rd to "Send shawl"-
so pleased thereat & no doubt 

she is too Worked hard all a.m.
& had Dixon for lunch & much
talk over arrangements for battle.
Steady days work. Its a lot
cooler up here & quite cold at
nights now.
6. 9.17. Worked hard all day
& feeling fatheaded there from
went for a 6 mile walk c̄
Beatty the A.P.M. & felt clearer.
7.9.17. Same as yesterday -
working all day & small
walk c̄ Beatty in evening to
Austⁿ div. H.Q.
8.9.17. Had long talk in a.m.
c̄ Mackenzie the Light Car Patrol
man on roads. Conference in
aft. in Trew's office then went
out for ride on old Clyno bike
to see Fairley at Fukhari; had 

pretty hard work keeping
bike up in sand & coming
home got a good buster.
Decided bike too heavy to be
worth keeping here.
Sand flies have been bad here at
night but beat them tonight
by covering myself c̄ paraffin kerosene.
9.9.17. Sunday. Rode over to G.H.Q.
in morning to see Bagshawe about
future operations. In aft. rode
over to 3^rd L.H.F.A. where had a
meeting of MOs & Fairley lectured
on Bilharziosis - badly too.
Talked c̄ Green much who had
come down from 14 A.G.H to discuss
things.
10.9.17. First staff conference
in a.m. Worked all day in office
Walk c̄ Argyle in evening 

11.9.17. Worked in office till 1730
when rode down into Khan
Yunus for exercise. Got important
orders
12.9.17. Wednesday. Quite a day out;
drove c̄ Stansfield & Pareira
(A.S.C.) first to Bir Esain where
had lunch then across Wadi
Saba & down Khalassa Rd to
Pt. 780 where turned off to E
across country onto main Khalassa Beersheba
Rd. up which we went for
a bit & then back to Rashid
Bek by Wadi Issad. Played
round there a bit on difft
roads & then drove home &
had a useful & enjoyable day
with car running beautifully
13.9.17. Worked in a.m. & in aft.
rode over c̄ Robin -the new A.P.M. to 

Anzac headquarters on the beach &
had aft. tea & dinner c̄ them. Talked 
shop c̄ Hercus & Croll & visited
the Genl. Loveridge turned up too.
Rode home along beach & got back
in 2¾ hours. Waves were quite
light c̄ Phosphorous
14.9.17. W Stayed in camp all
day working generally
15.9.17. Drove over to motor amb.
park c̄ Pareira in a.m. & then
to see new operating car at Shellal
Junction.
Cave came in aft. to stay with
me & we talked muchly; got sore
leg from spill off bike last
Sunday. Argyle, Cave & I yarned
till late at night
16.9.17. Sunday. Worked all a.m.
c̄ Cave reading. Rode over to 3^rd LHFA 

in aft. where Mjr. Austen gave
a lecture on Insects.
17.9.17. Worked all day. Wrote
to Doris N^o 11.
18.9.17. Divisions changed over.
Had long conference of A.D.S.M.S.
in tent in a.m. & aft. & worked
after. Walked over to Anzac
H.Q. c̄ Newton in evening.
Dust storm. Wrote Father.
19.9.17. Wednesday. Busy in
camp all day; filthy dust
storm in afternoon. Caught
1016 train to Kantara taking
Mullear c̄ me, train filthy.
20.9.17. Car to meet me at
Kantara where got at 0700
& went to Soldiers home where
had wash breakfast & yarn to
Miss McPhillamy. 

Caught 0915 train & got out at
Ismailia & drove to Moascar
where C. in C. was inspecting.
Had a go round 2^ndA.S.H. with
Kirkwood & was pleased c̄ it;
then drove over to see Col. White
- an Indian & D.D.M.S. of Sthrn. Camel
section. Back c̄ Max Yuille
talking business & had lunch
there & few minutes talk c̄ old
Arnott who had lost his son
& been ill. Caught 10 to 2 train
& went straight to office on
arriving at Cairo where worked,
had tea at Groppi's c̄ Jarmen,
went to G.H.Q. to see old Maher
who was out- Keble back.
Then round to Dawson's flat
where he was in bed & will be
for a fortnight; [[Bluntzh?]]