Diary of Cyril Strahan Parry - Part 10

Zahria Camp near Alexandria

5^th June 1915.

(Personal)

Dear Mr. Parry

I am going to bother you, to fix

up a little matter should you have time. If you go to see 
Bomb. Brown re your brother, perhaps you would take 
his pay book with you. Am enclosing same herewith. 
I don't know what the rules are, but if possible I'd like 
Bomb. Brown to get a little money advanced. He is a 
really steady reliable man, & wants to fix up a few 
little matters before he returns to Australia. He is 
to be sent back, as he is wounded in the knee, 
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& won't be able to walk well for a few months. 
Also Sergt. Major Light would like some cash. 
At the same time I quite understand that the rules 
may not allow men in Hospital to be paid. 

Nevertheless, these two men are deserving and

trustworthy & I'd be glad if they can have some cash

advanced to them

In haste

Yours F'fully

R.S. [[?Gee]] Capt.

9^th Battery F.U.

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Anzac.

Gallipoli

Oct. 18^th

Mr Parry,

Yours of the 4^th to hand; was pleased to hear

that you had received Athols effects together with letter of 
condolence from the Subsection.

As regards your request for Photo of his grave I might 
explain that we would have had one taken & forwarded 
on to Deloraine before this, but for the fact that we have 
not been able to complete it to our satisfaction as we 
desire to get a more substantial & lasting crossmade, 
with his name carved on it.

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When Athol was laid in his last resting place, the

best we could do to mark his grave, was two small

pieces of a biscuit box tied together in the form of a

cross, by a piece of wire, his name printed on with ink 
pencil, later this was replaced by a better & larger one 
but still a very temporary one, we also put a border of 
stones around it, making it look as neat as possible. 
As the engineers have been making good & substantial 
crosses, I requisitioned for one but owing to some 
change taking place among them, my requisition 
was overlooked, causing a delay of over two months,

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following on this my duties took me away from the

Battery for 6 weeks, so was unable to get it attended

to, but am now back with my Battery again & have

made another attempt with the result that as soon

as we can procure a suitable piece of timber, we'll have 
one made, at present, no timber is available,

but you can rest assured that as soon as possible

we will have it erected & a photo taken and

forwarded. If there is any other request, or

suggestion, you wish to make, let me know,

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& we will do our best to carry them out, for the sake

of your dear brother, our comrade, who died,

fearlessly doing his duty for his king & country.

Yours sincerely,

W.G.McKenzie Sergt.

9^th Battery

3^rd Brigade.

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172

Athols grave at Gallipoli

photographed by Lt. Pybus of the

Amm. Col. & sent to Tasmania

to Dad.

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Feby 12^th Went to the Barage with Uncles

Alf & Fred, Jack Woods, Lt. Wickham & 3

others from the Remount Unit. Left Cairo at

12.55 & returned at 5.30pm. The Barage is

about 12 miles North of Cairo at the point

where the Delta commences. There are 3

Big Dams, & over each arm of the Nile &

their object is to regulate the flow of the water

in all the irrigation Canals of Lower Egypt.

It was built by the French many years

ago. There is a fine Museum down there

containing working models of all the

Principal Bridges, Canals etc. in the country

The whole Place is surrounded by

Beautiful Gardens which are kept by

thousands of Arab Prisoners (civil) who

are quartered at a Big Prison Near By.

We went by Tram, but one can

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28.2.16 Stan Stephens turned up at the 

 office this afternoon & had dinner with him

get there by road also & by steamer as

well. I took eleven photographs down

there & am anxious to know how they

turn out. In the Dams are big locks to

allow the ships to pass through & we

saw one or two of them working while we

were there. There are narrow tramways

all over the place & small trolleys for

passengers, these are pushed by natives

this is certainly the best way of seeing the

place, but there are the old familiar

donkeys as well. We went to a Canteen

down there & had the rottenest tea I

have ever had, but we were mighty

hungry & having a good time otherwise

so we didn't mind so much. The cakes

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we had we native made (Nuf Sed).

13.3.16. Bill Collins came up from Tel-el-Kebir

today & will be here for a couple

of day then he returns & takes the

fortnights pay for all the troops down there.

I had a letter from Tom today it was the

first one he had written since he had

been at the Grammar School. I also had

3 or 4 from Home & one from Ivy. We now

understand there is to be no outward

mail to Australia for 6 weeks or so &

presume this is on account of the

movements of troops, as the 1^st & 2^nd

Division are supposed to be moving off

to somewhere or other.

Am still expecting to be sent out with

the 4^th Division as Cashier.

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14.3.16.  Gun Offices are now very crowded

& it is necessary to find bigger premises

This is the third office we have been in

since we landed in Cairo each one

being bigger than the first & now this

one is too small. I have a small room

(No48) on the top floor & have to furnished

in a rough sort of a way with a rickety

old wooden table & 2 chairs. I also have

the Telephone "laid on" In many rooms

there are as many as 20 men working

it is a bit crowded but it is the best

that can be done under the circumstances

men are also working in the Corridors &

Basements some outside in the open.

26.3.16.  Sent to Alex to change money

on Troopships of 1^st & 2^nd  Divisions.

 

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26.3.16. Return to Cairo.

27.3.16. Appd. Field Cashier 5^th Division

29.3.16. Left Cairo at 11a.m for Tel-el. Kebir

in company with Lt. Collins & 4 members

of Pay Corps & £40,000. Arrived at Tel-el Kebir

at 1pm. Commenced paying 4^th &  5^th Div Troop here.

30.3.16. Paying troops at Tel-el- Kebir

In afternoon visited old Trenches built

in 1882 by Arabi Pacha outside the Village

of Tel el Kebir & Kassassin, also saw

old cemetery where the richmen were 

buried.

31.3.16.

Left for Ismalia at 9.15a.m arrived

there 11.30am. Drove by carriage (?) to Ferry

Post 9 miles N.N.E. of Ismalia at a point

where the Canal leaves the Northern End of

Lake Timsah. Found 5 D.H. I had not

yet arrived so made ourselves comfy

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in first tent we came to. Paid 5 Div

Troops here, & spent the night here & lived

on a tin of service biscuits we found,

supplemented by groceries purchased

from the canteens.

1.4.16. Walked into Ismalia in the

morning with Billl Collins & brought out

a garvy to convey the cash into Town.

Left Ismalia at 2pm & arrived at Serapeum
station at 2.45 Drove in a Limber

wagon 3 miles over the sand to 4^th.

D.H.I. on the West Bank of the Canal

20 miles south of Ferry Post. Paid 4^th

Div. that afternoon, stayed the night

in Bills' tent & left there early next

morning, walked walk to Serapeum

Stn then by train to Ismalia, & later

on to Ferry Post.

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3 } Camped at Ferry Post on the 

4 } 4/1916. East bank of the Canal & overlooking

5 } the lake, living and      

6 } working in a small Bell tent. On 
the 6^th a small hut was completed by

R.E. This we use as an office & I live in

a Bell tent. Spittal sleeps in the office.

7.4.1916. Left for Cairo by 2pm. Train

arrived at York House about 5.30 & found

Uncle Fred there.
8.4.16 Saturday At work in the

Cairo office all day.

9.4.16  Uncle Alf came in to see me, in

the afternoon we both went to a Gun

Club at Choubah. He had dinner with

me later on.

10.4.16 Returned to Ismalia by 6.15 pm 

train. Spittal met us at the train

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with a carriage & we drove to Ferry Post

arriving there at 10.30pm. at the Ferry

there is a Pontoon bridge Built by the

Aust. Naval Bridging Train, this Bridge is

only in use at intervals during the day.

then it is swung open to allow ships

to go through. There are 2 big punts for

taking carts etc. over, these were on the

opposite bank when we arrived &

the Party on Board very knowingly

refused to come across until there was

a full load so we had to wait some time

11.4.16 Saw Harry Ikin & Fred

Balhansers this afternoon. They are

opening up the A.I.F. Canteen here.

There are trenches all round this part

& even as far as 12 miles out. A Light

Railway has been built by the Austr.

181

called the Anzac Desert Rlys. The Gauge

is about 9'6" & the Engines are run by Oil

Motors & driven by Navy men. The troops

are marched down to the Canal for

Bathing Parade at intervals during

the day & they appreciate it too as there

is no fresh water to wash in & very

little to drink. Troopships, warships

& Merchantmen are constantly passing

up & down the Canal. All Neutral

ships have their names painted in

letters about 6' high along their sides

& also the flag of their country. There is

good fishing to be had in the Canal & some

of the men seem to put in a lot of their

time in at it, we generally manage to keep

the mess table supplied in this way.

The food here is good but of course

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rough as may be expected. Now that we

have an officers mess going things are

much better, the Mess being run by a

Native cook. Somalia is a very small

place where you can buy practically

nothing at all, there are only one or two 

Small shops kept by Greeks but they

are practically sold out by now. The

Town is on the banks of the Lakes & is the

usual type with low flat roofed

Buildings wide verandahs & trees.

12.4.16. Wed. Tonight a violent

Khamseen set in. This is the local

name for 50, as these Sand Storms are

common during a period of 50 days

in the Year. The wind is blowing a

hurricane & it is only with the

greatest difficulty that we can persuade

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the tents to remain on the earth. The air

is full of dust & the sun is shut out.

All Trafic along the Canal is impossible.

Lord Hardinge. the Viceroy of India is

due to Pass through tomorrow but his ship

is held up at Suez. All night long the

Storm. continued & I had to turn out

several times in the night to fasten the

tent down in fact some tents blew down

altogether. Everything is covered inches

deep with sand, & we are eating it in

our food.

13.4.16 All day long the Sandstorm

is still raging. The hut we are wo^rking

in is shaking & I will not be surprised

if it goes into the air at any moment.

It is impossible to walk against the

Storm & men who have to stay outside.

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wear goggles & tie up their face with

handkerchiefs to prevent the sand

cutting their faces. Tonight we have a

bit of rain at 10 pm & the Storm ceases

off a little, only to start again when the

rain ceasted at 9pm, & last all night.

I was in fear least the tent was going

to leave me at any moment.

14.4.16 Friday.

Still Blowing, about noon the rain

came down & nearly washed us out of

the hut which is made of rushes & a

wooden roof that won't keep the rain

out. We had to cover everything with

ground sheets & I rigged up a kind of

tent out of my raincoat. The Desert

Railway has disappeared as it is

buried under about 5ft of sand &

 

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thousands of men have been turned

out to "unearth" it, in order to keep

up the supplies to the front line trenches

After the rain the wind has gone down a lot &

the dust has dropped. Later in the day

everything is quiet & mud has taken the

place of dust, only to be very soon dried up.

Everywhere men are busy re-arranging the

Camp, putting up fallen tents & clearing

sand away.

15.4.16 Sat. A perfect day, cool & with

a slight breeze blowing off the lakes.

Wired to the AZ Bank at Cairo this morning

to have £30,000-0-0 ready for me on Wed.

next. Balanced up the preavious money

& getting things put away ready to leave

for Cairo on Monday Mid-day.

The 9^th Light Horse are due back at