Correspondence between Herbert Vincent Reynolds and his family, 1914-1915 - Part 4

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We left the Berrima at 9.30am Wed 3^rd and

entrained for Cairo, which we reached at 4 pm

and went then went onto Abbassia and reached

camp at 5.30 pm. This is the reinforcement

camp in which we are camped, the 4^th Infantry

Brigade are at Heliopolis about 4 miles from

us and the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Brigades are at

the Pyramid Camp. Heliopolis is within

bounds for us but we have to get leave to go

into Cairo, some of the finest buildings

I have seen, the largest hotel in the world

is here and at present is being used as a

hospital, the buildings are all the same class 

as the National Mutual buildings ^in Ballarat the footways

are all paved with steel blocks, only the high

classes live here. The 7^th and 8^th Battalions have

left Cairo for the canal, so I will not be able

to see Ellis Stones for the present, but I hope

to soon be drafted into my unit, and get

into the scrap along the canal, some of 

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our chaps have been wounded and been

brought into Cairo, there are also a thousand 

prisoners here, who have been captured along 

the canal. There are electric trams running to

all the important parts of the city and suburbs,

and in some parts the more modern electric

trains. The French are the principal European

race here, but in Heliopolis the buildings and

the city throughout are typicaly American.

Sunday 7^th

I paid a visit to the camp at the Pyramids

with another chap yesterday afternoon, we

reached there at 4pm, found a couple of chaps

my mate knew, and we had tea with them, 

after that we walked across to the Pyramids,

passing through a small town erected since

the troops arrived, and are only tempory buildings,

every place had to be named by the troops, and

given some typical Australian name, or they

got no trade, you will see names such as the

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“Kangaroo Cafe”, “White Australia Tea rooms”, “The

Yarralla Cafe”, “Sargents”. George St Sydney”,

etc, up on the fronts of the stalls. We came

across natives with half a dozen donkeys used

for the purpose of hiring to anyone who wants

to see the sphynx, the chap with us asked

one of the natives, what he wanted for the hire

of three of them, he said 5 piastres each, well

you can always beat a native down by half, if

you fail to do so he is getting at you, but

this chap was up to the game and he would

not come down, untill two or three others came

along with other donkeys wanting 4 piastres, he soon

came down to 3 Piastres and after we argued with him

to come down to 1 piastre, he lowered it to 2 piastres

that was no good to us we went to walk away,

“all right Australia you come” so we got him down

to 1 piastre — we gave him two piastres ^each and had a

good time for a ^1/4 of an hour, or so we went round the
great Pyramid past 2 or 3 smaller ones and round

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to the Sphynx so we could only see the 

outline of them, as it was about 6pm

when we were there and at that time it

is dark in this country. There are 9

Pyramids x3 large and 6 small, it is

about 12 miles from Cairo to them and is an

interesting ride, the Zoological gardens are

passed on the way they are supposed to be

the finest in the world, I must visit them

when I get a chance.

Mena Wed 10^th 1915

I have not posted this letter on account

of us being drafted into our unit, I can

give you my full address now. We left

Abassia at about 10am yesterday and

marched the full distance of 15 miles to the

Pyramids camp at Mena. I did not expect

to be drafted into the unit so soon

but word came through the other day that

14 reinforcements were wanted and I

 

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happened to be picked in the 14.

They are a decent lot of chaps in the

unit, but I have met none of them

before, one of us was put in each tent,

so we were seperated altogether from

any one we knew. We will soon

feel at home here and get settled down.

Hoping you are all keeping well

Yours truly

Bert

My address is

Pte H V Reynolds No 622

1^st  Rein 1^st Field Ambulance

1^st Australian Division

A.I.E.F

 

Mena Camp

Frid 12^th Feb 1915

Dear Mother

None of your letters have come

to hand since the one dated Dec 23^rd. I

cannot make out how they are so long in

being delivered, there is nothing more welcome

to us chaps here, than a few lines from home,

and it would not hurt the defence dept

to see that the letters are delivered, I would

like to know whether you are getting my

letters. We were not long in the reinforcement

camp at Abbassia, they sent along for 14 men

for the 1st Field Amb 13 for the second and

16 for the 3^rd, I was picked among the 14

for our unit and my mate was also picked

for the second, he did not like us being

seperated at all, we picked up with one

another at the Meadows 3 days after I

arrived there, and we have stuck together

 

ever since, he ought not worry so much as

he has mates in the unit that he is in,

whereas I have not met a soul in the

one I have been drafted into, I will

have to make the best of a bad job as I

don't think there is a chance of getting

a transfer, I have got sick of asking

for one. All the Ballt boys are along

the canal; there is nobody in this camp

that I know, Pete is with the 4^th

Brigade at Heliopolis I went over

to see them and a couple of the other chaps

but they were away from the camp.

We are only about ½ a mile from the 

Pyramids where we are camped. I was

all around them Wed, and went into

the old temple below the Sphinx, it is

a wonderful place the pillars of granite

are 16ft x 3ft 6 x 3ft 6 and are still

standing the roof was destroyed by the 

 

Romans when they were here. There are

any amount of old ruins around here, such

as old wells and tombs. The Sphinx 

is only a couple of hundred yards from

the Pyramids it is a wonderful piece

of work it has the body of a lion and

the head of a woman, only the head 

and upper body are visible

the remainder is covered by sand

the face has been disfigured by one

of Napoleons cannon balls shattering

the nose a little over a hundred years 

ago. I have been inside the Great Pyramid

but I intend to climb to the top of

it one of these days, this Pyramid

was built by King Cheops and three

small ones was built alongside it

one each for his daughters, the enterance

into it was only discovered in 1882, the

two statues inside were removed to the

 

London Museum, everyone that enters

the Pyramid has to remove his boots

because the steps are so slippery, there

is a passage from the enterance goes

down untill it reaches the great

gallery, here there are two passages

one goes straight on at the same level,

the other raises above the other and

mounts up into the centre of the

Pyramid this is known as the passage

leading to the Kings chamber, the other

one leads to the Queens chamber, there

was a statue in each chamber but

they have been removed, the passages

are about 4ft 6in square and you

have to stoop when walking through

them. Will write to you next week I

hope these few lines reach you, I am patiently

waiting for news from you. I am full

up with this place one day we have a feast

and the next a famine your loving son Bert

 

1915

Mena Frid 12^th Feb

Dear Stan,

Just a few lines, we have joined

our unit we did not expect to do so for a few

weeks. We arrived safely at Alexandria on the

2^nd, disembarked next day and came on to

Cairo by rail, it took up a little over 6 hours in

travelling, we got out at a place called Abbassia

and marched to the camp, we stayed there till

the 9^th and then we shifted to the camp

near the Pyramids at Mena, we marched

from Abbassia to Mena a distance of 15

miles. This country is very funny after 

Australia every where you look there are

camels, donkeys, mules or bullocks. I am

sending you some Egyptian stamps

for your colection, and a postcard of

a native on a donkey. the men dress

in long gowns like the women here, and 

they look very strange. We are camped