Diary of George Booley, 5th Battalion, AIF, 1914 - Part 4 of 8

good swim with all clothes on & especially 
as the water here is infested with sharks 
they wont let the natives dive here for 
coins on that account.  Thursday 26^th Nov 
We left Aden about 6 this morning this 
time the New Zealanders led the way 
they look as if they are going to go 
away from us too.  We have been in 
sight of the Arabian coast nearly all 
day, this evening we got our first view 
of Africa & just before going through 
the Strait into the Red Sea, we had 
a fort pointed out to us on the Arabian 
coast that a few days ago was manned 
by Turks & it is said they were there 
with the intention of giving us a  
reception when we came along, but 
unfortunately for them they fired on 
a boat a few days ago, that led to  
a British Man-o-war coming along 
& blowing it to pieces & a party of 
Indian troops landing & driving them 
clean out of it, this is as it was told 
to us, I wont vouch for the truth 
of it but if it is true it is just as 
well for us they shifted them, it is 
 just near an Island by the name 
of Perim there appears to be a big 
settlement on the Island as far as

I can hear Perim is a British Possesion.  
The coast line along here is  
very uninteresting it is mostly sand 
occasionally you see a few big rocky 
hills. We are now getting into the  
Red Sea & about the place a lot of  
the Bible was written about. Friday 
27^th Nov. Our Company were on guard 
today over the prisoners, they considered  
my arm was too bad to go on 
so they let me off for once, all we did 
all day was our washing, in the after 
noon the Doctor came round & examined  
our feet & he told me to go up to 
the Hospital & he would do something  
for my, corns, so I went up, they 
dont trouble me at all, I thought it 
would be a good chance to get rid of 
them, all they did to them was to paint 
them with Ioidine, it is a standing 
joke on board about the Iodine, they 
reckon if there is anything wrong with 
a limb if Iodine wont cure it, it will 
have to come off & that pills & Iodine 
will cure anything, one of our Company 
was sent up with an ingrowing toe 
nail & they painted it with Iodine, 
Stan went up with his vaccinated 
arm & they did the same. I have not

got my job of MP. back again & I am keeping  
quiet about it, it is much better 
to be up on deck with the boys. Another 
Mail boat passed us this evening for 
England we are in hopes of a big 
lot of mail at Port Said. Saturday 
28^th Nov. This is the hottest day we 
have had so far the entrance to the 
Red Sea is rightly named (Hells gate) 
it is almost unbearable down on the 
troop deck tonight. We were surprised 
to hear today that it is arranged 
for us to land at Port Said, the reasons 
are varied, some of them very wild 
ones, but most agree that the Turks 
have something to do with it, & it  
is rumored that we will see fighting  
before a week is out, but they  
all see happy on it occasionally 
you hear one complain about not 
spending Xmas in England, we are 
going full speed ahead now, no doubt 
to make arrangements for disembarking,  
it is all bustle getting 
things ready we greased all the 
boots again  today & started wearing 
them again, it is getting much cooler 
now we can wrap up in our blankets

now of a night. Sunday Nov. 29^th. Still 
going strong, the usual church parade 
Monday Nov 30^th.. We arrived at Suez 
this morning at 10.30 we no sooner 
dropped anchor than we were surrounded  
by the usual horde of boats, it 
is a fair f sized town just completely 
surrounded by desert, you can see 
a few palm trees growing in one corner 
of the town, this part seems to be where 
all the heads hang out as most of the  
best houses are in that corner, but 
all the town appears clean & neat looking  
in the distance, I have ∧been straining 
my eyesight to try & see where the 
Canal runs out from here, I can 
see some Buoys running round 
one side of the town & think it must 
be there. We got a couple of Barges 
of water & started off again, at 2.30, 
The way out is where I thought it 
was, the Canal runs round the corner 
of the town I mentioned, on getting nearer 
home of the houses are real nice the 
people there seem to be French, most 
of them I think have something to do 
with the Canal, they were all out 
cheering & waving to us, here we saw 
three donkeys with Natives on them 
we all roared it looked so funny & 
they sit right on their rump, we were

all enjoying the sights & we got ordered 
to the other side of the ship as all our 
weight on the one side had the ship with 
a bad list to Port & it takes a lot of steering 
through here, you can imagine how  
wide it is, when I compare it with the 
Yarra, it was not long before the list was 
to the other side, we saw a lot of Natives as 
we thought working away out about a 
mile on the desert, when they saw us 
they started for the Canal as fast as they 
could, they were in such a hurry that  
they forgot to throw down their shovels 
they turned out to be Indian Troops 
throwing up earthworks & digging 
trenches to hold the Turks off the 
Canal & the town of Suez, they were  
very excited & cheered & yelled like 
mad, when I got a good look at these 
fellows it made me feel glad they 
are fighting with us, they are happy 
looking chaps but they look every inch 
a soldiers. From now on the trip 
through to Port Said was the most enjoyable  
time I ever put in, about every 
mile we would come across past the 
Camps of Indians & Territorials, they all 
gave us great receptions, & just on dark 
our pipe band was playing & I never 
heard such a happy cheer as came

from the camp there was no mistaking 
that they were English, the Indians 
fairly made your blood freeze when 
they started to yell, it made me feel 
satisfied that the Turks would have  
something to do to get over the Canal 
with these chaps guarding it, all 
night long we would pass small 
parties going up & down the banks 
of the Canal. When it got dark a big 
light was places at the front of the 
ship, it threw a light something 
like a search light away ahead 
about a mile, there were three 
other boats following us & it looked 
grand to see their head lights shining 
Boats are only allowed to go at 5 knots 
an hour through here. I was on guard 
& enjoyed it, the only thing that 
made me wild was I had to put 
in two hours on a post down below 
& all I could see was by screwing 
out of the port holes, it put one in 
mind of a moving picture show, 
they have put in good work on 
the Egyptian side, there are trees 
planted along the bank & some kind 
of small bamboo with a white plume 
like flower on top & it looked lovely

one could almost imagine himself 
in fairy land for the time being, I 
was sorry when I had to go to sleep as 
I was enjoying it so much but as I had  
to go on for two hours from 5 till 7 I 
had to have some sleep. When I tell 
you what I saw during this two hours 
you will think I have taken to drink 
drink. For defensive purposes the 
land on either side of the Canal for 
about as near as I could tell 40 mile 
has been flooded, & it was moonlight 
nearly all night & to look across  
the water you could not tell which 
was water & which was the sky, I  
was looking at it half asleep, when 
I saw the queerest sight of my life, 
the moon had disappeared under 
some clouds & was about half an 
hour from setting, & as the moon 
began to come out from under the  
clouds another moon began to rise 
up out of the water & by the time 
the moon was fully out the one 
underneath was full too & they 
kept moving towards each other 
& you could not tell the real one 
from the reflection. I roused up  
a lot of chaps who were sleeping

on the deck to see it & when we told 
the others about it in the morning 
they laughed at us, it was a good 
thing others saw it besides me. As 
we started through the Canal we 
were warned not to sleep on the  
Starboard that is the Arabian 
side of the ship & not to make ourselves 
too much of targets as they expected 
the Turks to pick a few of us off it they 
got the chance, but I think they 
hold the Indian Troops in too 
much respect to try that game, in 
any case they left us alone & in the 
early hours of Tuesday the 1^st of Dec 
we got to Port Said. There were several 
Men-o-war in the harbour some of them 
were French & we got a great reception 
as soon as we got properly anchored a 
∧coal barge threw ropes & pulled up alongside 
it was just crowded with the most vile 
set of Natives you ever saw at first we 
thought they were women as they all wear 
clothes like women & some of them have 
hoods over their heads, each of them 
carried a basket & as soon as they got 
near the chaps began throwing them 
pennies talk about fun, they just fell 
over each other after the pennies, but

it was'nt such great fun for the boss over  
them, he also was a native & he was trying 
to get them to work & get ready to unload 
the coal but they would take no notice 
of him, all they would do was get when 
they saw him coming with a whip, then  
he would start heaving lumps of coal 
at them & they would hold their baskets 
up & dodge it, he was nearly off his head 
but at last he got them going & I got the 
surprise of my life to see how they could 
shift coal, some would fill the baskets 
& others lift them up on the other fellows  
shoulders, & they would go off at the double 
they were a continuous line of men & if 
one of them lost a foot of the plank the 
Boss would bog into him with a piece 
of ropes end & they would get like one 
thing, it was no time before they had  
the barge empty, we took on two barges 
of coal, all round our boat was a moving 
mass of natives in boats some selling 
things, & two boat loads of girls & men 
with Mandolines, Serenading us, but 
keeping their eyes open for coins that 
were being pitched down to them, they 
made a good bit for the days t work. 
About 2 P.M. we were relieved from guard

& told to pack our kits as our Company 
were to be the advance guard for the 
Australians & we were to land on the 
following day & proceed to Cairo by 
train, this meant we were the first of 
Australians to land in Egypt, we saw 
very few European people there, there were 
a few French people. At night the chaps 
began to disappear over the side & go  
ashore, there were plenty of natives 
around in boats willing to run them 
ashore for a few pence, they had to 
post sentries all round the sides of  
the boat to stop them, one Native came 
in under the Stern of the boat to get 
a boat load & the Sentry fired at him 
he did not wait for any more, there 
was a great scatter, it gave them a  
bit of a scare, but they are cheeky 
beggars, we got our kits all packed 
& prepared to leave the old "Orvieto" 
my only wish is that I get a boat as 
good to take me back to Australia 
we have had some good times on her 
but I was happy to think that I would 
be able to stretch my legs again. Wed 
2^nd Nov, This is the last date I have  
kept so from now on my accounts 
of things will be a bit mixed up