Diary of Cyril Strahan Parry - Part 8

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Nov 10^th  1915 - Posted Xmas mail to Australia

Small cards were printed for the use of the
Corps, with the usual greetings on them

& the Australian & Egyptian Flags & the
name of the Corps. to say nothing of the
Sphinx etc. Don Cameron came in to
see me this morning ^& had a long yarn

to him about old times. Everything is

now quiet at the Dardanelles & the
Heavy Casualty has ceased. Strong
Reinforcements are continually
arriving from Australia & all the
Australians from Alexandria have

been moved to Cairo. There are still
16000 Aust & N.Z. Troops at Heliopolis
& 5000 at Maadi to say nothing of
tens of thousands of horses. Fresh

Troops are expected from England
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France & India very soon, & a tremendous
Camp is being formed on the Battlefield of
Tel-el-Kebir not very far from the Suez
Canal & on the Railway Line, a siding
has been laid down & it is just alongside
the Sweetwater Canal. Big preparations
are being made all along the
Canal in order to meet any possible
invasion from Turkish or German
Forces which are reported to be advancing
against us & laying down
Railways over the desert to bring
down their supplies. British and
French warships are also ready to
strike at a Moments notice. So far
I do not know if any Australians are
going but I expect so, so there are such
a number of them here.
 

128
Capt Hammond. Lt. Cowling & S. S. Fisher
were married in Port Said last week.
their young ladies having arrived from
Australia on the same Boat. They were
all married at about the same time
& didn't get mixed up & marry the
wrong wife. Dare Fisher's wife is a
great Friend of Hilda Neilson's.
Sunday 14^th Nov 1915.
Spent best part of the day in the
Mousky with Bill Wickham Mr & Mrs
Fisher & Mr & Mrs Emery, by buying
Curioes & having a general look round.
Monday 22^nd November
Dick Lloyd & I sorted out all the armour
in readyness to pack it up & send to
Australia, also took measurements for
boxes to fit it. Expect to get them away
129
in a few days.
Tuesday 23^rd Nov. 1915.
Received 4 letters from Tasmania telling
me that 2 Parcels that were outstanding
for nearly 2 months had arrived safely
& in perfect condition. These were Maltese
Lace, feather, photograph Films & some
of Athol's effects. To day I learn that
Capt. Fitzgerald is going back to Australia
to be come D.M. 1^st M.D. that that Mr Jolliffe
from C.U. is coming over as Major to
command an Audit Section.
The whole Corps is full of rumour about
Promotions Etc. & Everyone is anxious
about their own particular case, the
result is restlessness, & on top of this
everyone is well "Fed up" of the whole
show especially we who have been 

130
here from the "Jump". There appears to be
a lot of "wire pulling" going on all round
& by all accounts one cannot expect to
get on except by these methods.
Colonel — seems to have caused a
lot of trouble by all accounts & on that
point alone it will be better for the
Corps when he leaves us in peace.
Am fully convinced that there is
something radically wrong somewhere.
But wouldn't like to say.
All eyes are on the future of happenings
in this Country. Big prep,arations
are being made everywhere &
Trenches being dug all round here.
It is rumoured that a big Force
has left Alexandria, & gone
Westward to meet a Native force
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from the Vicinity of Tripoli. These
would be the same force the Italians
Encountered a year or so ago. Big
Forces are also being sent from Suez
to go up the Bagdad valley &
Transports from Australia are
continually arriving. It is stated
generally the K of K has been in this
Country, it is very probable he was,
because he came out to this End of the
world & his movements were not
known to the public for obvious
reasons. However perhaps he
expects things to happen also.
There is very little doing in the Corps
just now as things are much quieter
except a lot of Reinforcemts that
are always arriving from time to time.
 

132
Bill Collins was here from Alexandria
a few days ago & had 2 days with us
but has since gone off again. I have so
far been unable to trace either Roy
Briggs or Stan Lawrence possibly they
have not arrived in this country yet.
I am now beginning to feel the benefit
of the Egyptian winter, as the Summer
was mighty severe last & we
Australians not being used to it, it
hit us very hard & we always had a
very heavy sick List all through the
Summer Months. Am now packing
up a parcel of Photographs to send
home, they consist of the 1^st Austr.
Divisional Artillery taken near
Mena Camp. just before they left
for Gallipoli & 2 photos of
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the Intermediate Base (1 of the whole
Base & 1 of the officers) & 2 of the Army
Pay Corps.
23-11-1915. Today I had a letter
from Viv Woodberry (Cpl. 9252. V.A.
Woodberry Ward J.5. King Geo. Hospital
Waterloo London). asking about his
promotion, answered letter same
day giving him all he latest news of
Deloraine & sent him a "Mail".
24-11-1915. Posted to parcels to Dad.
one contained 6 large Photos & the other
contained Athol's effects that I got from
Capt Wall (Base Details) some time
ago, sent them through the A.I.
Base Post Office. News has just come
along that the Turks have put in an
appearance on the Canal & a small
 

134
Scermish took place & the Turks

driven bac off. Have just packed
together 39 photos (prints) & a few
Negatives & am going giving then
to Capt. Fitzgerald to take back &
post them to Dad when he gets to 
Australia. There are a number
of pictures of Gallipoli & Suez
Canal among them & I am 
afraid they will not pass the 
Censor, so am not going to chance
it by this Post Office.
Things are getting very

monotonous in the office now-a days
& everyone is hoping 
for "something" to happen just
to relieve the monotony.
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26^th Nov. 1915.
Left Cairo at 4 pm for Alexandria to
take over from Lt. Collins who is due to go
to Mudros at any minute. Am to stay
in Alexandria till he returns or
else Capt. Leaby returns from Anzac
whichever is the sooner. Arrived at
Alexandria at 7.40 pm & went to the
'Regina Palace Hotel' where I met "Bill"
after dinner we went to the office &
he handed over to me. We have a 
small office at No 7 Rve Adeh (above
the French Post Office) also in this
building are Branch Pay offices of 
the Royal Naval Division & the
N Zealand Exp Force.
27^th November 1915
"Bill" left for Cairo at 4pm to fix up a 
few things before leaving for
 

136
Mudros, he returned on the 28^th,
during the meantime S Sergt. Hearn
was down from Cairo on duty for 2 days
28^th Nov 1915 (Sunday)
Today it is raining heavily. This is the
first time I have seen rain since I was
here in January - February last. The 
sea is very rough & is breaking over
the sea-wall outh outside, coming
right across the street & occasionally
splashing on the windows of the
Hotel. It is also very cold which is
quite a treat after the heat.
29^th Monday.
- Still raining & at the office all day
with very little to do.
30^th Nov. Tuesday
     Do. ----------Do. --------
137
4^th December 1915. Saturday
Left for Cairo at 4 pm. & went Back
to York House to stay.
5^th December 1915 Sunday.
At the Cairo office most of the day & also
at the A.P.C. Mess fixing up a few
things with members of my Section.
Left Cairo again that afternoon for
Alexandria, with a new Supply of Clothes.
8^th December 1915.
"Wick" came down from Cairo with 2
men on duty & stayed 10/12/1915/.
10^th December 1915.
"Bill" Collins managed to get aboard
his Transport today, after having
to wait since 26/11/1915. He had
£50,000 with him in notes & silver
to pay the troops at Mudross & Anzac
before Xmas.
 

138
11^th Dec. 1915.
Sergt. Jim Anderson who is in a
convalescent Hospital at Ras-el-Tin.
was in to lunch with me to-day.
and in the afternoon we went to
Ramby along the Coast, we took the
Camera but did'nt take any pictures
This morning I met Cyril Abey who is
now an officer. He came away with
the A.S.C. from Tasmania.
Alexandria is at present full of English,
Scotch & French Troops & there are Camps
& Depots everywhere, while hospitals
& sick & wounded men are in great
evidence. There is a Camp just outside
my window & on the other side of the
Hotel is the Records office of the 3^rd 
Echelon M.E.F.
139
13^th December, Monday
"Jim" Anderson came in from Ras-el-Tin
& took up Light duty with me at the
office & is staying at the "Bonnard"
14^th December 1915 Tuesday.
This morning I met two Tasmanians in
the office, one was Sister Gibson from
Hobart, she is on the Hospital ship.
"Gascoyne" & left again this afternoon
The other was Capt. W.H. Douglas who
is a Chaplain & is waiting here for the
next Boat back to "Anzac" He is a son
of Mr Douglas the Counsil Clerk at
Queenstown & knows "Dad" very well.
He invited me to go and have dinner with
him last night at the Hotel where he is
staying ("The Windsor") I didn't leave
there till will after 11pm & had a good
 

140
old yarn about Tasmania especially
the West Coast. He is coming to have
dinner with me at the 'Regina tomorrow
evening. He also got some Tasmanian
"Mails" from me. This afternoon just
after lunch I got a telephone message
through from Cairo to Pay to "Bill"
Collins an extra £12500 in notes to
take to Mudros with him. First of all
I had to go to the Bank & count out the
money, then cart it to the Docks & get
a launch & go out to the ship, then
hump it up the gangway which
was a very ticklish job considering
it was a great weight & worth such
a fortune. However I got it aboard
& handed it over to "Bill". as I
got back to the Quay I found Jim
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Anderson who had been looking for
me all the afternoon & wondering
where I had go to, so this removed
quite a load off his mind.
15^th December 1915. Wednesday.
Met another Tasmanian in the office
this morning, Nurse Radcliff, from
Hobart she is on a Hospital ship running
between here & Salonika & bringing
back great numbers of Frost Bite cases.
Today I put in an aplication to
Colonel Fair for a position as a
Field Cashier, so am now waiting to
see what my luck is to be. Major
J.L. Whitlam of the 12^th Battalion was
in the office this mornin afternoon, he
is on his way back to "Anzac", he
came away from there some time
 

142
ago with Dysentry & is now quite fit
again. He tells me Major "Charlie" Elliot
is in Alexandria with the same complaint
& is in the Deaconness Hospital
so I must go out & see him. Jim
Anderson got word today that he is to
go back to Cairo, in the morning, & then
he is to go to Suez & be stationed there
for some time & will establish a
small office there for the purpose of
meeting ships upon arrival from
Australia. He rather likes the idea
of going. In a "Courier" I was reading
a notice about Charlie Oppenheims
wedding in Melbourne so I dropped
him a note congratulating him
on winning a "V.C"
143
Thursday 16^th Dec. 1915.
Capt. Douglas came in & had dinner
with Capt. Bachtold (1^st Engs) & I.
Capt Bachtold won the Military Cross
on Gallipoli for some good work he
did in constructing the landing
piers under heavy fire from the Turks.
Friday 17^th. Dec, 1915.
Fresh English Troops arrived from
somewhere today, I saw 4 lots marching
through the street on the way to
the various Camping Grounds.
S.S. Blanchard & S.S. Phillips
arrived from Cairo today to take
over the Balance of ships money from
the "Ceramic".
Saturday. 19^th Dec,
This afternoon I took a run out to
the Mouzah Gardens & took a
 

144
few snaps.
Sunday 19^th Dec. 1915.
This morning I went out to Ras-el-Tin
Convalescent Camp to see 

Capt Durge (the O.C.) & also to get a
Railway Warrant to go to Cairo. I
caught the 12 noon train & got to Cairo
at 3.15. On the way up I had dinner
on the Train, & I remembered how
different things were when I first
went over the same journey over
12 months ago. I went up to the
office & found a numbers of letters
waiting for me & also two parcels
with a pudding & a cake from
Home, so I handed them over to the
Mme. & asking her to fix them up
for Xmas Day & that I would come
up specially for it.
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20 Dec - 24^th Dec 1915.
Work as usual. During the week
Capt. Bachtold went up to Cairo for
3 days so was on "my own" during
that time.
24^th December 1915. (Friday).
Xmas Eve. Left Alexandria at
6pm. & arrived at Cairo at 9. 30. Had
dinner on the Train again today
During the evening Mme Bannealaal
Mme Irwin. Mr. Balchin & I drove
down to the British Recreation Club
to see how the Xmas Tree got on,
many of the members of York House
were very fortunate, one of them
won a Turkey, so we carried home
all the Prizes -