Diary for Wilfred Emmott Addison, 1915 - Part 2

 11
wireless operators, very decent chaps. Do you
remember Frank Coen of Yass well he is
our ships adjutant, he is in the 19^th I found
out by the merest chance he came from Yass.
The sea is the most glorious blue & like a mill
pond. I expect I am costing you a terrible lot
in stamps, but hope all this interests you all.
I saw the most glorious sunset, tell Father, of
my life on January 17^th, the colors in some parts
looking as if you got a child's paint box of
green, yellow & pink & smudged it on the sky
it was vivid. A glorious night last night with
the moon shining on the water. We passed
into the Gulf of Suez this afternoon, land
is visible all the way on our port. The land
seems quite hilly & mountainous, quite
different to my expectations. The sea is
beautifully calm & a nice cool breeze
blowing, Rigby printed a lot of my photos
to-day splendidly. The band played Arthur
last night & it made we think of home & the
mater. Must end here this week to catch
mail. Sending photos.
 

12
Heliopolis
Cairo, Sunday, 25th July 1915.
We arrived at Suez on Tuesday 20th inst, & one hour
there. We were immediately surrounded by hawkers
boats selling all kinds of things postcards &
cigarettes principally. All in boats called dhows
with long masts. Some of the officers got ashore but
I was unlucky. The troops had great fun with the
natives throwing bread & things at them. Captain
(Snowy) Clayton came on board. He was wounded
at the Dardanelles. It was true about that soldier throwing
that Turk on his bayonet. He told us some very
interesting facts, I can’t put here. Aden was attacked
just before we reached it, we hear but were beaten. We
started through the Canal about 4 am on the 21^st
Captain McKean & J. Scott having been sent on
to Cairo as advance guards. Capt Ross was put off
sick. It was most interesting through the Canal. There
were Indian troops all along it & some Territorials
They all greeted us with cheers. We arrived at Port
Said at about 5.30 pm. As we I was officer of the
guard, I had a lucky time. We passed a few
warships & mostly French, & each one got the salute
from us & I had to turn out a present arms. We
anchored quite close to land, but no leave. Some
of the men at night swam over & I had to arrest them
as they came back. We were surrounded in no
time with sellers & boys in the water diving for
coins.
 

13
By Jove they can swim. We coaled all night. The
men coaling were funny, they all chant ay-o-ay
together 
sketch - see original document (key.) All the men took it up.
It looks a fine place, In the morning Italian
girls & men sang to us from boats. The diving boys
were swimming from 4 o’clock to about 12 in the water
like fish. All the natives seem to do nothing
but yell at the top of their voice lungs. Found Harold
There on board, he is ship dispenser. Never noticed
him before. We left Pt. Said at 4 o’clock, all up
on deck to salute French Warship. They did cheer us.
We were in the Mediterranean at about 5 p.m. &
saw the prettiest side of Pt. Said, with their tents
It all seems French about these parts. Going through
the Canal the black troop went [[lwild?]] & cheered & yelled
to us. Saw a camel corps out in the desert.
The Canal's minimum width is about 100 yds, but
it looks shorter. All The railway runs on the left
side a good way on & all the vegetation is there
the right being ^sandy desert. The Ceramic is the longest
boat to pass through. We arrived at Alexandria at
8 a.m, Alexandria was a busy spot A good number
of hospital ships are in the harbour. We disembarked
at 4.30 pm, the right half going 2 hrs ahead
The beggars were in hundreds on the wharf fighting
over old clothes & bits of bread the troops threw them
They’ll eat anything. We went by train to Cairo
about 80 miles & then back to our Camp to Heliopolis
 

14
we had ^a very interesting run across the Delta
all the land is wonderfully fertile on account
of the fine irrigation from the Nile. It was
like running through miles & miles of Chinese
garden (like in Sydney) only no fences. Every now
& again we would pass through a tiny town or an
Arab village of mud, all the houses being
joined together in a cluster just like one
enormous house, they looked filthy - The Arabs
are notoriously dirty. One can’t eat any of their wares.
I should like Glen to have seen it all & the way
they cultivate the land. We reached Heliopolis at
about 10 pm & after a 2 miles march got to camp
next to the 17^th. saw Uncle Percy, he looks well.
Went to Cairo on 24^th & had look round. Ran in
by train. Had dinner at Shepherd’s, the great
hotel. Crowded with officers. The x suburb of
Heliopolis is given over to Hospitals. Hundreds
of wounded about, but all cheerful & anxious to
get back. I could hardly walk along the streets
for hawkers. Bought some very fine postcards,
every native in Cairo seems to have something to
sell. All the troops got about in ^drill shorts & collared
shirts & helmets. I got mine to-day, 2 pts & 2 shirts.
We are stuck in a desert, sand everywhere & in every
thing, Vultures flying about in dozens, big bird
they are too. The heat is frightful. All my men well
but one, who had to be left at Alexandria.
 

15
26 July 1915. Started work in real earnest
to-day. Our day consists of Reveille - 5 a.m.
Parade - 6 am till 9 am, breakfast, then
lectures to men from 11 am to 12.15., ^lunch then (officers
only) Machine gun from 3.30 pm to 4.30, Parade
again 5 pm till 7 pm, Mess 7.45. It’s a fair
day. General Maxwell inspected us & was
very pleased with our appearance. In fact he said
that we were, by far, the most advanced battalion
in Egypt & accordingly he changed our whole
syllabus of work, making it more advanced
Our band easily is one of the best too. Col. Holmes
is delighted with us. Wert into Cairo with
Moore & Doyle after dinner. Had a kick round
The money here is hard to get hold of. Everythings
seems a piastre (2½d). All troops are
allowed on the electric railways & tramways half
price. Got a cablegram away yesterday, home.
The men look well is their shorts & shirts.
They are much cooler. The 20^th arrived during
the night, so now the whole 5^th B’de is complete.
27^th Very seedy to-day, but managed
to crawl round 28^th Still ill ^the doctor came
to see me, took my temperature & at once sent me
by ambulance into Hospital. After a run in the
motor ambulance arrived there. This hospital
was once the Palace Hotel, Heliopolis. It is a
huge building of 800 rooms (large too) It
 

16
must have been a fine hotel. I was stuck
in the same room, in which Gerry Fox
was not 3 weeks before. He's now at the
Dardanelles & doing well. Struck some decent
chaps here, two or three of them direct from the
Front. They gave me some very useful hints,
One of the best is to get butter muslin
shirts made as a prevention for lice, which
no one escapes. [[?]] - vis Lt Coe, by name
from N.Z. L. Horse, was entrenching at night
when he slipped & fell over a cliff 30 ft & just
saved himself from dropping 300. His back
is injured badly, He is going back to New
Zealand shortly. They have me down as Influenza.
It’s a funny kind of it is, I feel very weak.
Clunies-Ross is in here also an old friend of mine
named Judge from Guyra No 14 School. He is
in the 4^th Battln & told me all about the chaps.
Pop is doing well, he’s the bomb man of the
4^th & sees to all the bomb work. He hasn't got
his Captaincy yet. Promotion is slow, alright.
Clunies-Ross was very bad, gastro-enteritis, Roberts
joined us ill with the same thing a couple of days
after. These chaps are not in same rooms with
me. I am writing this on Aug 2^nd in hospital.
Have had a pretty dull time. The sisters here
are very nice, but we don't see much of them
like an ordinary hospital. They rank as officers
 

17
The A.M.C men doing all the ^ordinary work. We
like it better too, Fancy Charlie was looking
after this ward a few weeks ago, as an orderly.
He is now at the Front & I hear wounded. I’m
not sure, as we never see any casualty lists
here in Egypt, unless we go to the base. Got
a uniform, drill, made. It looks well, Cost
31/-. Took a photo of one of the sisters this morning,
Sister Knox from Victoria. Will send it
out if its good. We have had a very rough
handling by ^from the Turks alright. We ([[?]])
haven’t got the objective of our first night’s
attack yet (“Achi Baba”). The Turks outnumbered
us. Mind you our chaps have done marvels.
The Ghurkas call us the “day tigers” & themselves
the ‘night tigers’. The Navy swears
by the Australians. Got my first mail
last night. 2 from Mother, one Father &
Glen & Mrs Bailey. I was pleased to hear
from you all & read & re-read them. It was
like a breath from home. It is rumored, from
Col. Holmes, that we will be at the Front before
long. Glad to receive code in M’s letter. This
climate here is a Killer one can’t recuperate. Judge
left us today for Zeitoun & Best, a [[?]]
yesterday Ban Riley (Glen will know, came in
yesterday to see me. He was the 2[[?]] B'de de cor
& will get his commission shortly. He took part
 

18
in the defence of Aden, just before we passed
It was rather a farce. Cecil Harrison is now a
Corporal. The chap, who had this bunk before
me, was with me in the 13^th Battln as my
Coln Sergt. He got his leg smashed & also
his commission. One leg is now 2 ins. shorter
so they sent him back home. They call this the
lucky bed. They all like to get back alright
The poor wounded, they’re the worst part of it.
One sees one legged, one armed, lame man all
Kinds. Poor chaps Clunies Ross is better to-day
Heliopolis is only 8 years old, same as this Hotel
There was a riot in Cairo two nights ago, all leave
is now stopped, so I can get nothing from
Camp I want. The Padre comes occasionally
& Rigby, my orderly, came till leave was
stopped. I manage to have a warm shower
every day, but the water is very hard
here, full of lime, making it very hard
to get a lather or wash clothes. It is got
from a huge Artesian Bore, I hear it is
good to drink, altho’ tasting very rivery
All the servants are Nubians, like negros
only more refined, our waiter, Mahomat Abdul
by name is a fine boy. Abdul means servant
You can tell Nubian by the scars on his
face (they cut them about when young, to
distinguish each tribe. The Italians
 

19
here are a very fine lot. I like them
better than the French. The better class
are much more refined & cultured
looking. They're a fine race. Its no wonder
they lead the world in music & singing
Aug. 3^rd Judge left us to-day for Zeitoun
all the traffic here is opposite to ours in
Australia, they keep, here, one the right side
It looks funny at first. No drinks (sherry)
served after 9.30 at night. I saw the Pyramids
in the distance, one morning whilst drilling, they
look pretty high. The cabs are four wheelers
open, & are called gharries.. They fly along
the flat ground. Everything seems flat.
People sit in chairs at tables outside the
ordinary cafes & hotels, right on the footpath.
You have to pick your way through them.
In dress, (native), red fezzes & turbans
predominate. There doesn’t seem to be much
theatre business here. Picture shows predominate.
They have a second hand Tivoli show
at the different places, Casino’s etc. The Italians
get some fine artists over, among themselves
occasionally, I believe. Aug 4^th The Colonel & the
Padre came to see me to-day & Rigby brought
my pay, also photos taken through
the Canal & on the train from Alexandria
 

20
Some weren’t bad, but out of 32 they spoilt
12 good ones. Pembroke Potts came in here
yesterday. He used to live at Richmond
brother of Cuthbert of the College. He
is just from the Front & holds a commission
in our 2nd Light Horse. Of course he went through
the Boer War Glen will know him. Wild rumors
to-night that Achi Baba has fallen & we have
received 24.000 casualties. Its fearfully hard to
get news of our chaps at the Dardanelles & we
never see any casualty lists, or very seldom.
One of men Willis, has been sent to his home
in England, medically unfit. He has had
pneumonia (I think) Its very hard to recover
one's health here on account of climate. Our band
played here to-night. I recognised it in
the distance. Its a fine band alright.
Aug 5^th Will get up to-day or to-morrow as soon as my
clothes arrive. Two of our chaps, here, were
sent to the convalescent home of Helouin, & will
then be sent back to Australia. A New Zealander
Col, leaves for N.Z to- morrow. Uncle Peter called
to see me & looks well. An old friend (Bank) of
mine turned up here. He’s a Sergt in the 13^th Battln
& just back from the Front He says there are only
40 left of the old 13^th. Aug. 6^th Cec left to-day also the Q
M. Partly sick again this morning. Have orders to go to
the convalescent Hospital at Helouan to-morrow, 28
miles down the Nile.