Diary for George Lush Finlay, 1915-1918 - Part 2

him out. This little
incident complicated
matters still further.
I finally got the
deck cleared after
about 25 minutes
hard work
I had a pretty rotten
job, for the men
or rather the majority 
of the men were W.A.
men & of course
wanted to say the 
last goodbyes. They
didn't know me 
- apparently their 
officers are not much 
chop. judging by
the state of their troop
deck tonight.
Things on their deck 
are completely up 
the pole and the two 
officers have both gone 
to bed I surmise that 
they in common with 
their unit are potty.
I have never seen 
such a brothel as 
the troop deck was 
tonight. Men, kits. 
equipment & rifles 
lying all over the 
place. Men & N.C.O's
all drunk.
I am glad that 
I caught the bird
who gave me so much 
trouble. I have got
him up before O.R. 
tomorrow on five 
charges three which 
are extremely serious
I lost about 10 
men over the side
They will be caught 
eventually I suppose
There are a lot of swine 
in this world!

July 28^th 1915. Things proceeding 
quietly. Have just made 
a started on some work 
a certain amount of 
deck spaces being alloted 
to each unit. Vaccination 
parade took up all 
this morning for my unit
My vaccination by the 
way is quite quiet.
Deck cricket going 
in full swing. Made 
quite a name for 
myself yesterday getting 
14 runs n.o. & 5 w. 
for 4. Hot stuff!
Today a glorious 
day. Beautiful blue 
sky etc. The colour 
of the sea is magnificen 
being a deep glorious 
blue. I am now able to
appreciate Kiplings
calling the description
of the Indian Ocean 
“So bloomin' blue".
 

Aug 1^st
Nothing doing.
Hot as hell. Will cross the 
line tonight. I believe some 
sort of an affair has 
been got up.
 

Aug 7 Just. off Socotra.
according to the map
No land to be seen
Passed a ship last 
night & one would 
have thought that
there were no such 
things as ships in 
our part of the world

Judging by the wild 
excitement shown by 
both men & officers.
It certainly was a bit 
of a break and we 
have seen nothing since Fremantle except 
water water everywhere.
I might also add “nor 
any drop to drink” 
seeing that this is 
a teetotal ship & all 
we can get is lime 
juice etc.

Aug 10^th Just entered 
Red Sea. Hot as hell. 
Temperature about 1500^o 
Feel as though I am 
sitting in a Turkish Bath. 
Quite exciting times 
yesterday passed 
numerous ships
Also two Arab dhows.
Get to Suez in about 
3 days.

Aug 11^th Still extremely hot 
although the heat is
tempered by a fairly 
strong head wind.
Buried another man.
this morning. of my unit
too That's the third the 
second being a man
in the  2/24. Meadows - the third - 
had consumption.
How the hell he passed 
the doctors God knows! 
It seems to have 
developed very rapidly, 
however the man being 
in the hospital about 
a week only.
Wrote to Gordon
Muriel M.

Aug 18^th If I write everything 
I could write of the trip
between the 11^th & 18^th I would 
never finish
Arrived at Suez on 
Friday after a sweltering 
trip up the Red Sea
Very lucky in having a 
head wind which cooled 
things down.
Very disappointed at
hearing that we had 
to disembark at Suez 
and not go through the 
Canal
Had a couple of hours 
on shore at Suez & walked 
about. Filthy place. Smells 
like a piggery sty.
Natives dont seem to 
have anything to do
Was not looking forward 
to the trip to Cairo 
across the desert
First couple of hours in 
the train frightful 
Disembarked at about 
9 a.m. & marched 
across to fumigator
Humorous sight to see 
bl big hairy legs & arms 
protruding out of the 
white 'nightdresses' given 
the men to put on 
Glad to say not trouble 
with men at all.
Passed Train left at 12.30 
& for two hours went through 
frightful desert. Saw 
a mirage like water. 
In Two hours brought us 
to the end of cultivation 
& from there into Cairo 
the line went through 
wonderfully fertile 
country, with Arab 
villages dotted all 
over it

Bel Reached camp about 
7.45. Saw a good few 
of school fellows who 
went through school here 
Their units have gone to 
the front & some of the men 
are back in camp wounded. 
Every possibility of 
of going to the front in 
a week or two.
May go through the school 
although I would like 
to get away with my 
men.
Went into Cairo two 
nights ago & drove through 
portion of the slums 
Extremely interesting 
but extremely revolting. 
Every house a brothel 
& on every door step 
a fat pig of an Egyptian 
woman. One needs a 
cane to keep guides & 
children pestering you with 
"Want to see can. can? etc. 
and I was not in the 
worst part
Heliopolis & Cairo 
are wonderful places 
Cairo for the life etc, 
& Heliopolis for the building.
Glorious architecture in 
the Belgian style. 
Visited #1 Base Hospital 
yesterday. It is the 
Palace Hotel & was 
originally built for 
a high class. gambling 
den. A glorious place 
all marble inside.
Makes a wonderful 
hospital. Am going 
there again today 
& to Cairo tonight.

Aug 23^rd Have done some 
sight seeing since the 
18^th - The Pyramids.
Also a little more of 
Cairo. Went into Cairo 
with Elsbury & Street & 
had rather a hell of a time 
Arrived home at 4 o'clock 
in the morning. Reveille 
at 5. so I slept the majority 
of the next day
Went to the Greater Pyram
in company with Gilchrist, 
Thomson & O'Sullivan 
having as a guide Soliman
Mohamed a fine looking 
Bedouin dressed most 
picturesquely. Spent an 
extremely interesting 
day. Climbed to the top
of Cheops & was very 
sorry that I had started
when I got half way up 
it was such damned 
hard work. Had three 
men to help me, one 
giving me a shove behind 
The stones composing on base 
are about 6 ft x 3 f x 4.
so it was no easy matter 
to get to the top.

Howe On coming down 
we went inside & 
saw the Kings & Queens 
& Chambers after crawling 
along the shaft to them
Huge granite slabs.
about 18 x 6 x 4 compose 
the Kings Chamber. 
Went to the Sphinx.
Slightly disappointed 
Saw the Sphinx Temple
& the tombs of the priest 
Here again slabs of 
granite & alabaster 
of huge size
No granite nearer 
than Assouan - 600 miles 
away. 

The
Aug 24 Went into the 
school of Instr. on 
Monday. & I am not 
quite sure whether 
it's a good step. I'll 
learn a lot but I am 
afraid I'll miss my unit 
The men are sorry I've 
gone I believe 
Macgregor, Street, Thompson 
O'Sullivan are the only 
officers to come of  those 
that came over on the 
Demosthenes to go into the 
school. Its funny how 
much Fred & myself 
are thrown together so 
much. 

Wrote to Rob
Also visited the mosque 
of Armor & the Zoo
Sep 4 Went to Sakkara
Pyramids last Sunday
Went from Mena per camel 
& back by camel. First
two miles rather enjoyable 
but the rest of the journey 
damned rotten. On the back 
of a camel one seems 
to be all joints & ^to discover 
or wake those joints for 
the first time. First your 
legs forward then the body 
back. Sandwiched in between 
is roll starting from the 
head & finishing at the waist 
& working up again.
Tombs of Sakkara very 
fine. The tomb of Serapeum
extraordinarily magnificent 
or rather enormous.  
The sarcophagii weigh about 
100 tons
Saw the tombs of Ptah Hotep 
Mena & Ti. These are 
beautifully carved.

Went to the Citadel 
on the Saturday & visited 
the mosque. Only hundred 
years old & is a copy 
of the Constantinople Mosque 
Beautiful alabaster 
walls & innumerable lights 
Two extremely fine candelabra 
one of which was given by 
Louis XIV In the courtyard 
there is a fountain where 
the worshipper wash feet hair 
eyes nose ears before going 
into the mosque. The water
for the fountain is drawn 
from the Nile. A well 
close to the fountain is 
cut through solid rock 
& is about 750 feet deep 
The echo lasts for fully
90 secs.
Am rather sick of the 
school. Have done fairly 
well having got to date
91, 92, 93 & 86 marks in 
the four exams done This 
sounds very much better 
than it really is but the 
marks given are most 
extraordinary.
O'Sullivan has been 
dismissed from the school 
for using bad language 
to an unspeakable cad 
of an Englishman who 
is doing the course. Unfortunately 
he is the senior officer present 
being a First Lieut. He 
talks as though he had 
a hot potato in his mouth 
& if he is a fair sample 
of an Englishman I am 
sorry for England. 
Fred Street has had the 
rotten luck to have developed 
a heart & in consequence 
has had to return to 
Australia. I am very

sorry for him because he's 
a good chap
Wrote to Auntie this week
Am hearing all sorts of expression 
of good will from the unit 
They seem to want me 
to go with them so I hope 
I can live up to their 
good opinions when I 
get over the other side.

Sept 5

Went to the museum 
this morning & spent 
interesting hour & a 
half. The mummies of 
course interested me 
most for although the 
stone work is fine 
one gets a little fed 
up with it. 
Saw the Rameses tribe
f and was struck by 
the amount of character 
which still shows in 
the face or skull
In Meneptah's mummy 
- the boy who was supposed 
to have persecuted 
the Israelites -face -
avarici is written & he 
still has a sort of
pigheadedness shown 
appearing in it. 

In one case - Quiya - 
I think the name was 
it took five different 
things before his (or her) 
burial was complete 
First the mummy 
then the usual carved 
coffin Another bigger 
wooden business which 
held the first & two
more each holding 
the lot that had already 
been packed away. 
Went up the Nile to 
Baggara Arraga (?)  Some very 
fine gardens & a couple 
of very fine bridges

which were built 105 years 
ago by Mahomet Ali. 
Wrote to Auntie 2 days 
ago.
Saturday 11 Sept.

Have just finished 
last exam at the school 
Thank Heaven! I have 
done fairly well getting 
an average of 94. in the 
nine exams. It's rather 
a farce for I never got 
94. in an exam in my 
life before.
Hear great rumours about 
the formation of a brigade 
out of the Reinforcements
I hope so, I'll get a pn

if they do. Vague tales 
about its being sent 
to Khartoum to garrison
bit of a rising there 
It would be rather
good fun I think.
Seymour left on Thursday 
morning. I suppose he'll be 
back pretty shortly.

Wrote Gordon. 

Sunday 12^th - Went to Cairo last 
night & called in at the Casino
after going to the Kursaal
& wandering round a bit
Stree Visited a tailor's shop 
in which is a damned 
nice little French girl
It is a treat to talk 
to her after the other 
class of female abundant 
in Cairo.
There is no doubt that 
our girls, while giving 
points in the matter 
of looks - in most cases
- are lost when it 
comes to bright 
vivacious talk. The pair