Diary of Wilfrid Wanostrocht Giblin, 1914 - 1915 - Part 3

Returned to Alexandria by afternoon train
Jan 21^st The 2^nd General Hosp. left Alexandria
for Mena House Hospital
Jan 23 Visited Indian Hospital ship
with many returning sick & wounded
Indians. Mostly wounded in Left Hand.
Equipment of 1^st ACH loaded on train
Jan 24^th Entrained at 9a.m. & left for
Cairo with 1^st General Hospital.
Reached Kutteh Station about 1pm. Headed
over to Heliopolis then allotted room in
basement. Officers very fine rooms on
ground floor. Meals at Hotel opposite.
Jan 25. Equipment transported to Heliopolis.
No losses in transit. Which is more than
most units can say. Called on General
Ford, Director of Medical Services for Army
in Egypt. Received instructions about
using Motor Ambulances in Cairo
to assist removal of sick Indians.
Jan 26 Received instructions to hold self
in readiness to move forward at short
notice. Answered I could be ready to
move in 3½ hours. Later received order
this whole unit with 21 nurses from
1^st A. General Hospital was to entrain
next day at 3pm.
Matters in Heliopolis Hospital becoming
very uncomfortable owing to behaviour of
Lt Col. Ramsey Smith who behaves in a most

[*Sister ship to Triumph which was
sunk at Gallipoli. Both built for
Peruvian Govt & taken over at time
of Russian- Japanese war.*]

peculiar manner towards his officers.
This is more remarkable as he has some
of the finest men on his staff, Syme,
Maudsby, Jackson, Dunhill, Turnbull &
Sutherland. They are all thoroughly disgusted.
Of his nurses us the majority
immediately volunteered to come with the
Clearing Hospital but none were informed
who was to go till about 8.30 next morning
All luggage had to be packed by 9.30
Left Arranged for rapid repairs of motor
wagons.
Jan 27^th Left Palais Kutteh Station at
3.30. At Cairo picked up ½ 1^st Stationary
Hospital with 10 nurses. including Janet
Nurse King & Fred Birds nurses. Major
Powell in command with Newland &
Ferce. Poor Corbyn left who will be
mad I know esp as I have taken
away his favorite nurses. Reached
Ishmailia 10.30. There received news
of some fighting that day on the Canal
Left the ½ Stationary Hospital & went on
to Port Said Passed the H.M.S. Swiftsure *
Battleship in canal. She had been firing
that morning & was cleared for action.
Reached Port Said at 12.20 met by Major
Battye I.M.S. & Captain Heron. Informed
that I was to take charge of a Hospital there

a convent the 'Asile Couvreux' having
been requisition that morning for the
purpose. Sent nurses to Hospital. Then
unloading equipment, 50 tons & 6 motors,
bivouacked men on station & officers went
to Hotel bed by 3.30.
Jan 28^th By 7 o'clock made start to move
equipment from station to Hospital. Transport
by mule cart (Indian) & my motor lorry
Much to do arranging allottment of ward
& rooms in Hospital, cleaning, installing
electric light, sanitary inspection &
alterations necessary, accommodation for
motor. Called & saw Col Elgood G.S.O.
Encamped men in desert near Railway
Station under Capt O'Brien & Campbell.
In afternoon attended funeral service
of English Officer ∧Flying Corps & French corporal
(observer) who had been killed last night
while reconnoitering. By evening things at
Hospital began to look less depressing
Nurses & men have worked well.
Jan 29. Hard at work getting beds into
Hospital from Savoy Hotel. a German
Institution which has been shut up. Was
visited by Col. Manders. Deputy Director
Med. Services. The Australian transports
are held up at Ishmailia & are now
expected tomorrow at midday. The Australian

Submarine A. E. 2 which came home
with them, passed through canal today
SS. Kyarra arrived from Alexandria.
She is returning to Australia with some
invalids & others. First Capt McIntosh.
Jan 29^th Hospital inspected by Col Manders
DDMS Cairo. Making progress towards
provisions for receiving patients.
Heard story of aviators death. They had been
scouting over Turkish lines near Port Said
but machine went wrong. They landed
safely but too close to Turkish troops
so they burnt their aeroplane & walked
towards our lines along old camel-
track leading to Port Said salt works
In the dark they were shot by an
Indian picket 120 shots were fired &
they received 12 hits.
Jan 30^th By 8 o'clock train with Capt
Heron to Kantara 20 miles down line.
Inspected the Canal bank between salt
& fresh water canals to see if it were
possible to run a motor all along it
to feed a hospital train. Track would
be difficult but worth trying.
Returned by Hospital train to El Tup &
inspected there. Brought back 17 sick
Indians who were met by our motors
& taken to Egyptian Hospital. One wounded

Turkish prisoner who had had a tough time
Owing to abuse of white flag our men
had been ordered not to respect it.
This Turk was shot through pelvis. He lay
on ground and waved a white flag but an
Indian lancer charged him, grazing his back 
& breaking his lance. He then dismounted
& emptied the magazine of the his rifle at the
Turk at about 15 yards. No result. He next 
tried to knock his brains out with the butt
of his lance. Just then an English Officer
arrived & put the wounded Turk on a 
camel to convey him to assistance.
The girth breaking our Turk landed on
his head but in spite of all is getting 
on well.
Jan. 31^st In afternoon to Salt works in 
Police Launch with Capt Heron RAMC & 
Major Wiles I.M.S. Inspected defences there with
view to organising removal of wounded.
Afternoon tea with Officers of Brahmins.
Detailed Major Richards to accompany
an expedition along coast in steamer [*Anarickmos*]
conveying aeroplanes. Under command
of Capt Waldon Intelligence Officer. Object
being to pick up scouts & place others 
by means of aeroplanes. Expect to be
away 5 or 6 days.
Lt. Maddrell 7^th A.L.H in difficulty having lost
ten men from transport. Lent him a picket

of ten men from A.C.H to pick up his strays.
None found. Inclined to think they had got back
on board.
Feb 1^st 1915  Captain Campbell dispatched with
Sergt Symes & 2 men with motor car to Kantara
by train. To try camel track. 2 days provisions.
First two cases admitted to Hospital. Both 
medical.
Dined with Captain & Mrs Heron, Capt Whitworth 
Jones also there. All very pleasant afterwards 
to pictures 9.30-12. Heron is an RAMC
man in employ of Egyptian Govt.  He has
been located in Port Said to eight months.
Feb 2^nd - Arranged funeral of Trooper Jas. A. Stewart
3^rd Light Horse Regt who died yesterday in Govt
Hospital Port Said from broncho-pneumonia
following measles.
Feb 3^rd - Visited Egyptian & Indian Hospitals
under Dr Hayward & Major Wells respectively.
RMS Mongolia came in with Alison
McPhillamy on board travelling home with 
the Knoxs. She looks rather thin having had
a trying time en voyage with sea-sickness.
Her boat will be held up here some days I
expect. Firing heard along canal esp. in 
neighbourhood of Ishmailia. 21 cases brought in
by Hospital train & removed by our motors.
Campbell came back for another car & 
reported that there had been some fighting at
Kantara today. He had succeeded in working
over the desert with a motor having rope on wheels.

Reported here that howitzer shell had burst in 
armed cruiser in canal killing Captain &
12 men. Heavy firing from HMS Swiftsure
at Kantara & French man of war at
Ismailia. One shot of the former burst
among bunch of enemy & laid them all
out. The wounded were chiefly Syrians
& were sent to Egyptian Genrl Hospital.
This ^(the Australian) Hospital begins to look more shipshape.
Drainage nearing completion, operating theatre
which Major Gordon has taken a good deal
of trouble over looks well with white paint
over everything.
Feb 7^th We opened the operating theatre with
a couple of operations. The first PI Thompson
of the Clearing Hospital had appendicitis & a
territorial radical cure for hernia. I did the 
first & Major Gordon the second. He is a
very pretty operator. Arrangements went off
satisfactorily but slow at first. Carlisle gave the
Chloroform & will improve with practice.
The fighting along the Canal came to
very little the other day.  Official reports give
59 Turks killed 58 wounded & 190 prisoners.
Apparently they brought a pontoon bridge &
put it across the canal where it was
immediately destroyed.  They have since fallen
back & we are expecting a more serious attack

soon. Janet must have been in the thick of it at
Ismailia as the attack was close up to that
town.
I dined with her & Mr & Mrs Bristow tonight.
He is an American Consul and has advantage of 
not appearing to resemble his Countrymen in 
any respect, in fact I suspect he is really
an Englishman. Mrs Bristow is pleasant, 
has been a nurse, aet 45? Two other ladies
of a schn similar age interested in Red Cross
work & Major Murphy I.M.S. of the Hospital 
train made up the party. This afternoon
I had a very pleasant surprise.  A man came
up to me while I was having afternoon tea at the
Casino Hotel & ask mentioning my name asked
if I remembered him. I did not like to tell him
who I thought he was, (viz Dr Dunn an old
fellow student at Barts & one of the best 
fellows going) as I had heard Dunn was
dead some years ago. However it turned 
out he had been nearly dead with tuberculosis 
& the report got about he was dead.  He is
now in fairly good health as long as he
takes care of himself. He has been to Egypt 
for last 12 years for winter doing a practice
among visitors at Luxor. This year it is 
off so he is port health officer at Port Said 
for the time being. He photo is in one of my groups.

On Saturday last the Clearing Hospital played the
local cricket team which has an unbeaten
record which however at last had been
is end to come to an end. Hospital winning .
Feb 10^th I went out to Kantara taking 
Major Gordon. Captain Campbell took us
out in the car across canal & about two
miles along camel track on El Arish road
to place where Turks were encamped who
had made attack on Kantara a few days
ago. We saw their well & trenches also
the marks that the Swiftsure 7.5 shells
had made in the ground. The motor
worked well over the Desert. The Turks
had retired more than 20 miles & it
is considered doubtful if they will
make another attack on Canal defences.
They received a very nasty bump their 
casualties amounting to about 3000
many times more than at first reported.
Feb 12^th - Had game of bridge in afternoon
with two aviators at Capt Herons. The
first game I have played for some time.
Capt Todd & Paul were named the latter is 
only a beginner. I dined with Dr Dunn at 
Casino Palace Hotel & had a long yarn afterwards
about old Barts men.

Feb 13^th Got telegram ordering that nurses should
return forthwith to Cairo & report at Heliopolis.
Great distress among them all. It
seems as if they would prefer Port Said & 
the Clearing Hospital to all the pleasures of
Cairo & their own unit. We think it is 
only a preparatory move before having to
move on somewhere else ourselves.
Got my first letter from home - dated
Dec 13^th. It had apparently travelled to 
England & then back here. Also letters
from Ronald & Edith Wanostrocht.
Feb 14^th - Received orders to hold myself in
readiness to move to Cairo at short notice.
Packed up most of hospital gear. Sent
op nurses by 12.30 train to Cairo. They
had worked well to make hospital efficient
& were disappointed not to have many
wounded & sick to practice on.  Apparently
authorities feel that circumstances do not
warrant expense of this institution Rent
£100 per month etc, and evidence does not
point to things developing in this direction.
We hear rumours of work at other end 
of canal.
Feb 15^th - Packing nearly finished. Waiting
further orders to move on. Received another
mail from home dated Dec 27^th - also 
letter from Miss Price Chigwell.