Letters from Eric Roland Cotterill to his Mother, 1915 - Part 4

Heliopolis.
18.3.15.
My dear Mother.
The last letter to you was rushed
somewhat so will try & go slow in this.
Yesterday we marched out at five in the afternoon
on the usual game. Away out we halted, took
up our position. & awaited the onslaught  In due
time it came, we fought a no-decision bout,
& came back having been out 16 hours.
We only have feet inspection & rifle to clean
to-day & then off on another stunt to-morrow.
The last night out was a clinker. The alarm
was at two a.m. & all was hurry & bustle.
Silently we formed up in the rain & set about
our task. Daybreak found us away out past
the third old watch tower of Napoleon a
distance of about twelve mile We turned about
& fought our way back.
Another day reveille at 5 am, move off at 6.30 

2/
When halted we were ten miles out from nowhere
on the sandy waste with one hill just like
another. Marching by prismatic compass we
set out as a Turkish army making an attack
on the oil wells near Cairo. These were defended
by the terriers who have been here over six
months. so we were up against it. They had
a grand site for defence. but having spotted
a hill that looked good to us. No 8 platoon
set out for it. It was farther than it looked
& only a couple kept up with subaltern & self.
It was a lovely posi. & commanded their
whole line. We sent a note to the colonel saying
that ours looked to be the key, of the situation;
& to reinforce us strongly. When the umpire came
with the O.C of the enemy. he asked us what
we had done, & made some very complimentary
remarks which made us forget our long gallop.
We were adjudged the winners on the day & the 
 

3/
terrier Capt. acknowledged we had the weakest
spot on his line. Before this scrap was over we
sounded the assault & charged but bless me
if the terriers didn't hop out of their trenches &
counter-charge with fixed bayonets also. As
our skewers are very sharp that final dramatic
touch will have to be omitted.
On a previous day we were stacked up against
a squadron of L.H. & were steadily. driving them
back. Seeing that the next position they could
occupy was about a quarter of a mile back
immediately they retired to it we set sail for
the one they had vacated. This we reached
before they poked their heads up away out in
front, & when they did so we were all ready
& clean wiped them out. As they were the
advance party of the enemy, this was very serious
& earned much praise for our platoon.
The subaltern will do me, the men will do me. 

4/
& it seems each returns the compliment so
beware Kaiser Bill, for No 8 of the 13^th 
The week-end just passed I despatched a cable to
George as having the best address. We are allowed
special rates at week-ends by the Eastern Telegraph Co.
so I took advantage of them. They are subject to
censor of course, so I wanted you to understand
that the despatch of cable was to mean the same
as the Xmas wire from Melbourne, & that is, we
were about to depart. Whether your thoughts
followed a similar channel I know not. It has
turned out a little previous however for we are
still here, but are ready & likely to move at. any
date now. Should any cable appear in your
paper relative to our departure some days
after the the receipt of cable, this letter should clear
up all doubt.
I also despatched by registered post a small New
Testament to Dolly. How we came by them is 
 

5/
on the inside of the cover, & I sent it to Dolly as
she is the eldest single girl at home. I already had
one so, am not depriving myself of it.
I had a look at the Zoo the other day & was
greatly pleased. It is very nicely laid out & the paths
are especially so. They are of scroll tile work, but
the working is done with colored pebbles. There
is a grotto there in which this pebble work
is marvellous, a story being worked out on the
ceilings & walls.
One of the latest additions is not an animal. It
consists of a pair of pontoons taken from
the Turks on the Canal. They are of sheet iron,
very broad in the beam, & pierced in all
directions with bullets, just like a collander.
No wonder they were repulsed. It must have
been a big task getting them across country
from Constantinople. 

6/
[* Symbol – see original document *]

We have a picture show in the camp now. It
was formerly at the ‘terriers’ camp, but as they
are not as wealthy as we are, the management
moved it here. I have not been able to have a
look but it draws well every night they tell me.
Surely it is a great harvest for all in
Egypt just now. The authorities have had to
secure a big issue of new coinage to
cope with the demand, & as it is new &
bright the natives are not too keen on it.
They prefer the dirty old worn-out stuff.
We went on an excursion to Memphis to see
the country there & were amply rewarded. It
was a most exciting trip down the river in
the launch & just as lovely on the donkeys.
Memphis is really covered over with drift sand
being thousands of years old. the nearest villages
being Badradash & Sakkhara. It is usually by
the latter that the ruins &c are called. 
 

7/
On the plateau nearby are the oldest pyramids in
Egypt. They are nine in number & rather small
in comparison to those at Mena. but are. notable
for their age principally. One stands out alone
it is called the Step. Pyr. that is instead of a
plane surface. it is made of a series of terraces,
as if each block were smaller than that below.
The interiors are empty but the sights here are all
under drift sand & have only been excavated
recently. One is the tomb of Te. He was some
old time king & judging by the picture must
have had them all under his sway. The
interior is quite smooth & covered with bas-relief
colored carving. The work is very fine
& delicate & depicts everything of moment in his
life. You can trace his journey to Abyssinia, his
battle there, & the maidens bringing bounty & hostages
Even the scribes keeping tally in their rolls
are shown hard at it. One could spend days
here but our visit was only about an hour, &
we will only dwell on the main features.
Here also are the tombs of the sacred bulls. In
olden times, the bull under different names was
worshipped, & if he did not die before he was
20, his followers killed him & interred him
in these vaults. There are 24 in all. 12 on each side
of a tunnel that is 500 feet long. There is a huge
empty granite sarcophagus in each. but the contents
were taken by some old time vandals. In one
chamber the present king & late Khedive died
so of course we all had to get in too. Personally
I think there is more to be seen at Sakkhara than
at Mena.
Still able to write healthy & happy in the remarks
column. with prospects bright.
Love to all from
Your one & only
Eric. 
 

[*Perused by. Roseville. *]
Heliopolis
28.3.15
My dear Mother.
No letter this week from home
perhaps you missed the mail. Probably there
will be two next time.
We are still training but not so regularly
We have one bivouac & big field day
per week now, one rest day & usually a
practice at striking camp hurriedly as if
we were off in earnest.
We do everything just as if we were off
& I fully expect that when we do go it
will be exactly the same. So to be safe
if we are ordered to put on full
marching order I do so. Many roll their
greatcoat loosely in their valise & so
have not to carry the other articles
such as a spare shirt & sox. Should
they be caught there will be a great
uproar for our black kit bags with 

2/
our surplus clothing is always left behind.
which seems to indicate Alexandria
as our base.
The buildings there that are suitable are
used as military hospitals & only today
there was a para. in the papers stating
that it had been decided to occupy
another large school.
One of my men has just returned after
having his corns carved out. & he
says they are situated on the sea beach
& are well fitted out Most of the nurses
seem to be Anglo-Indians & he doesn't care
for them but he has a soft spot for our
own nurses at Heliopolis.
There is No 1 Aust. General Hospital fitted
out & womaned by our little continent.
The building is immense & a model of
architecture. Heliopolis is rather a swagger
suburb in the tourist season so a syndicate
decided to build a Casino. They erected 
 

3/
a splendid building nearly as fine as the
Sultan's palace. Were it occupied it would
be the largest hotel in the world, but
the owner failed to secure a license so they
went bankrupt. Those who have been
there rave over its beautiful staircases
& rooms, but I can only judge from the
exterior. It is built in Eastern style & is
a particularly stately pile.
Our people stepped in & now use it as
their general hospital.
Cpl. Edwards returned today from
there after having his adenoids cut out,
& he says that most of the patients suffer
from temporary deafness. It is not the
cicada for they are silent here. Were
they not this land would be unbearable
for we are surrounded by swarms.
There is a Lt. G.G. Gardiner here. He
knows us by repute or from hearsay &
one night when I was on picquet duty 

4/
with him till the early hours of the morn.
we had a long yarn together. He is a fine
big fellow himself & very nice in manner
He was yarning to me this afternoon & told
me that with the reinforcements who arrived
this week were Harold George of Paddo,
a Fred Thompson from that way, & a
fellow by name Wallack. All three are
well known as footballers & we know
George at least. Perhaps father may
remember Thompson. They are full-blown
privates & Gardiner is trying to work them
into his platoon in our company.
Day after day our camp is thronged with
new-comers, anxiously seeking a brother or
friend. No one had found me yet but. maybe
they will. I would like to have a talk to
a body who has left there before after we did.
We are writing in our mess huts & it is
like an examination room.
There is a sergeant here now, Dave Williamson, 
 

5.
an old Fort S^t lad He has just returned
from an old cemetry nearby, that was the
burial ground for an ancient city. The
fellows, contrary to regulations, take picks
over there & search for old relics. Dave has
a long string of colored porcelain beads
that must be at least 2000 mile old. They
bring back pottery, skulls & relics of all kinds.
The city is said to be the university city of
On where Moses received his education.
We had an interesting journey. last Saturday
About three miles from here is a spot that
figured largely in olden history It is the
spot where the Virgin Mary rested on the
flight to Egypt. The well from which
they drank is guarded always by natives
who offer visitors water which is
wonderfully clear & cold. Handy to the
well is a gnarled & knotted old tree
the one under which they rested. Whether 

6/
this is the exact tree or not. no one can say
but it is certainly very old & is on the exact
site if not the tree. It is propped up in all
ways & fenced off, & the authorities have fenced
it a similar sapling off to take its place
After a deal of cajoling, threatening & bribery
three of us managed to secure a piece of tree.
We then visited the old church, which is
famous for its paintings & sculpture. On
the wall are six huge paintings of incidents
in the flight of Mary & Joseph. There is the
the birth of the Saviour, slaughter of the innocents,
the angel warning them to flee, crossing the desert
to Egypt, resting at Heliopolis, & on the Nile.
The tree as painted hundreds of years since
is similar to the one there now.
The statuettes chiefly depict the main incidents
connected with the Crucifixion.
This chapel is very notable & is visited by
pilgrims from all the world, the register being
well thumbed & written in. 
 

7/
Another object of interest is a huge granite
obelisk standing in the midst of cultivation.
It is miles from the river & hundreds of
miles from the nearest granite deposits. & the
theory is that it was floated down in flood
time. Its base is about six feet square &
is set about 17 feet lower than the field
around it. Parts of it near the top have
been chipped off & it is covered with characters.
Whilst here we had a couple of visits
to the fellaheens.
The whole family seem to go into the
cabbage patch with the old man for each
had all his domestic animals & his family
near to where they were working.
Both were ploughing with the old wooden type
drawn by oxen. Just imagine this thing on
virgin ground in the back. block. Say a
few roots & rocks for fun in the paddock.
The soil is spanking black stuff & the
plough just turns it over. This implement

8/
is about as ancient as anything here excepting
the water-wheels. It is like this.
The thick upright limb with the handle

[ * Hand drawn diagram - see original document *]

poked in is to enable the ploughman to guage
the depth of the furrow. At the bottom is. a
joint of wood ^(A) with a piece of steel on the
nose underneath. The "slow pup" is the shaft
with the swingle-tree attached. All parts
are joined together with lashings & are as
crude as possible. Our laughter caused
the donkies much enjoyment, but I suppose
as his forefathers used them he must too.
What they would do at the sight of a
traction plough I couldn't imagine.
The water-wheel to irrigate was quaint
Turning them were a camel & buffalo. Both
were enclosed in a covering over the head
& neither was fast. We were betting as to
which was the faster, but neither had gained
an appreciable advantage when we left so
we cried them all off. 
 

9/
On another rest day we set out to see three
things in the day. We took a gharrie to
the Citadel, & made straight for the mosque.
This place named after its builder
Mahomet Ali is a copy of one in
Constantinople & is a particularly fine copy
Before entering we had to hire huge
slippers & having done so & hired a guide
we went in. In the courtyard is a huge
fountain over a very deep well. We put
our mouths to an aperture in the top &
hollered for the echo is a well-known one
The fountain is necessary for these folk
wash their hands head & feet before
prayer. which takes place five times a day
The clock on the tower was presented
by Phillip of Spain. the gent Queen
Mary turned down. The Citadel itself
was built by the Saracens, mainly by the
Saladin of Coeur de Lion's times.

10./
[* Symbol – see original document *]
[* March.
 28^th *]
We next entered the mosque. It is built of
alabaster throughout, excepting four huge
pillars supporting the domes & minarets.
These are not of allabaster as it would not
carry the weight but are colored similarly.
Behind a gold cage on the right of the
entrance is the builder's tomb. Prayers are
said five times a year & the Khedive
used to enter here as his first step in
the proceedings. M. Ali was the first K.
of Egypt. Whether the Sultan will follow
I didn't enquire. The whole floor space
is covered with matting & then rich red
carpets of true oriental design. From the
roof are thousands of globes – now electric.
What a magnificent sight it must be
when alight. There are huge chandeliers
from the centre of each dome & globes
everywhere else. Alabaster is a great sight
when a match is held behind a fluted
column so this must be wondrous 
 

11/
Ther roof is a mass of colouring - all the
windows are, but one row. The glass came
from Italy. & one row is colourless. If it
is for light, the whole effect is spoiled.
Only there were a crowd of Indian soldiers
at their devotions. I would have been been on
the broad of my back gazing at the roof.
The altar of course is. on the east & like
all altars is let in to the side. In answer
to my query the guide stated the reason for
so doing was to enable the blind to find it
& then know the East. We thoroughly enjoyed
it but had to fly off on our way.
The guide was very anxious to show us the
blue mosque. This is now used as a school
as we have taken many of their buildings
& boys were everywhere. It was the walls we
were here to see however for they are
covered with blue tiles from China.
However they came here no one seems to
know exactly for they are hundreds of years

12/
old. To vary matters the builder of this place
– he seems to be a crank – built a tomb
for his principal servants & here they still
are in a tile sarcophagus..
From here we drove through some of the
crookedest & noisomest, & most evil-smelling
streets of Cairo, to the Museum, but as
I am half a sleep, I will reserve this
for next letter.
All the words you can't decipher make
a note of & I will replace them later
meanwhile they will provide a little
diversion for the family in the winters
To be candid I have not the patience
to write carefully
Still fine and dandy,
Much love to all from
Your ever loving boy
Eric.