Diary of Frederick Warren Muir, 1915 - Part 1

 

Front cover of Diary

 

 

Inside cover of Diary

 

Wednesday. we marched into Giza this morning
& throus
& through the Giza gardens, where we had a
half hours spell. It was quite home
like to sit down on a patch of green
grass for the first time in nearly 6
months. The gardens were ablaze
with colour, yellow jasmine, wisteria
salvias, bouganvillea, golden rod
& geraniums all were in blosson.
There were also members of cabbage
palms & silky oak making the scene
quite like Australian. We mounted
guard this afternoon on the Canal
Bridge.
[*April
Thursday 1^st*] on guard to-day on Canal. One of the
best I have ever experienced. Four
hour shifts consequently I finished
at 9 a.m. Saw the Battalions marching.
 

out on a Divisional scheme about 6 c'clock. As
soon as daylight breaks long strings of
camels donkeys & oxen pass along here
& into the fields to begin the days work.
We have a cook here to look after our
meals & a couple of boys to do odd
jobs. Said Mohammed is very good on
eggs & omelettes. I demolished about
2 dozen eggs during my hours off - quite
a healthy appetite. Altogether a very
enjoyable 24 hours.
Friday 2nd - Good Friday today & consequently a
holiday. We had a few of the traditional
hot cross buns for breakfast. went
into town about 10 o'clock. The Town
was crowded with soldiers - chiefly
Australians & N. Zealanders. The maories
also were very conspicuous. Every
restaurant in town was filled & they all
seemed bent on having a good time. I saw
three barrels of beer taken off a lorry &
rolled up a side street where a huge
crowd of soldiers soon polished it off.
The long expected & inevitable riot in the
way took place this afternoon. The
cause of the outbreak is obscure but it
seems to have originated in the stabbing of
a maori. The crowd wrecked the house in
which the incident occurred throwing the
furniture out of the windows & inadvertently
injuring some of the soldiers underneath.
A crowd of about 12000 soldiers soon
gathered in the weigh [[El Berka?]] all on quite
a good humour & bent on mischief.
Two officers of the picket were captured
& only escaped with difficulty. The crowd
proceeded to systematically wreck all
the houses & shops throwing out everything
 

movable & burning it in the middle of the
street, the red caps rode through a
couple of times - the first time they were
felled with stones etc & the second they
fired on the crowd wounding 5 or 6 of
our fellows. The fire engine came up &
tried to quell the fire but their hoses were
cut & they were compelled to beat a hasty
retreat. About 6 o'clock a company
of Terriers arrived but the crowd was
now thoroughly worked up - they had to
withdraw for reinforcements at about
10 o'clock nearly 5000 Terriers & Light
Horse  had arrived & the town was
thoroughly picketed. The Australians
then withdrew in good orders & seemingly
very pleased with the nights work.
The casualties numbered nearly 20 &
the damage about £5000. After this
I went to St Panes Restaurant for a little
tea & afterwards adjourned to Padhe's Cinema
till 12 o'clock when I returned to camp
Saturday 3rd We have at last received our
marching orders. after so many false
alarms & rumours the real orders have
come very suddenly. It was our sports day
to-day but this has now been cancelled.
At 7 this morning we commenced to pack up
& get ready to move. next our tents came
down & were folded up & returned to
store. The ground was cleaned up & the
stores etc cleared away leaving everything
very denuded looking. The other
battalions are also moving & the
camp is vanishing "like snow on
the desert's dusty face. Cairo will
be very deserted after the next day or
two. There is not very much excitement
 

in camp nearly all the talk hinges on
last nights riot. By 3 o'clock we had
everything ready for us to move out. we
are quite old campaigners now & took
with us all the food we could lay hands
on & not even the Arabs could get much
off the ground we had left. The right half
battalion moved out at 6 o'clock & the
Left at 11 o'clock. We marched into Cairo
in 3½ hours a very creditable performance
considering that we were burdened
with full kit. We however had the band
which helped things a bit, a good
crowd gathered in Cairo to watch us
but they were not very enthusiastic
We arrived at the Railway at 9.30
& embarked immediately but did
not leave Cairo till 11 o'clock. The
carriages were 3^rd class & rather
[[?]] but by lying in the floor managed

to secure a few hours sleep

Sunday 4th we arrived at Alexandria at 5

o'clock & about an hour later embarked

on our transport A11 SS Minnewaska

This ship is off the Atlantic run she is

a fine boat of about 15000 tons &

was once a first class passenger boat

but of late years has been running

cattle. She has a speed of some 20

knots & is the fastest troop ship

afloat. She has however not been

fitted up as a troopship & in

consequence our quarters are rather

rough. we have to sleep & eat on

the deck & have a horse deck

immediately above us which

leaves much to be desired. we

are leaving our kit bags behind

 

here so spent the morning in sorting out

from them what we needed for the

next couple of months. The band played

a few tunes on the wharf by way of

celebrating Easter Sunday but it hardly 

seems like Easter. The harbour is

crowded with boats. there are in all

over a hundred transports waiting

French & English. The wharves are

a scene of great activity trams 

of troops & supplies are constantly

arriving & soldiers of all kinds are

bustling about - the French Terriers

& Algerians look very picturesque

in their white bloomers & blue coats

& the French soldiers in their

red trousers & coat of beautiful

silver grey & blue. A number of

Indians are embarking opposite

to us. The food supply has been rather

short to-day & we would have fared

badly but for what we brought with us

Monday 5th we have been embarking horses

& supplies all day. we have some

900 horses on board & some 2000

troops. The latter include all the

general staff of Corps & Divisional

Headquarters, 1st Battalion, 1st Sig

Coy, A.S.C. Engineers, Provost

Staff & so forth. we will have

at least 3 generals & all their

gilded staffs aboard. we have

had practically nothing to eat

to-day so sallied forth tonight in

search of provender. Had some

narrow escapes from picquets

but got back safely. Alexandria

seems to be Cairo again on a

smaller scale. There are some very

fine streets & squares with imposing

buildings.

Tuesday 6th we pulled out into the stream

today. A large number of our chaps

who had broken ship were left

behind & had to come across in

boats. we have been taking on

supplies all day & the rattle of the

winches lasted far into the night.

we have huge quantities of benzine

& motor spent on board a rather

ticklish cargo. watched the A.S.C.

slinging mules aboard this afternoon.

The mules rather resented

the process & kicked violently. went

ashore on town picket tonight.

Things very slow however

captured about 50 Australians

whom we escorted back to the wharve &

released. Arrived home at 3 am

Wednesday 7th mounted guard to-day

Posted on the horse deck. Rather a 

stuffy post. We have nearly 1000 horses

on board & about 2000 troops. Spent a 

quiet day.

Thursday 8th we still continue to load

stores, provisions, pontoons and a

hundred & one other things necessary

for the welfare of an army. we

see the troopships going out one by

one & other going in to the wharves

The U.S.S. Tennessee is in port here

our chaps collided violently with

some of the sailors & a special picket

had to be sent ashore to rescue the

former. Some of the French troopships

are very fine boats. Two of them are

fitted as auxiliary cruisers, a French

hospital ship is in the harbor & also

an Australian one.

Friday 9th we have finished loading today

& Headquarters have come aboard

we have 6 generals including

Birdwood & Bridges & a host of

Colonels, major & minor lights. The

food is improving but it is even yet

not too plentiful.

Saturday 10th At 7 o'clock this morning

we heavied up our anchor & slowly

threaded our way through the

mass of shipping & out of the harbour

into the gleaming blue waters of

the Meditteranean. Soon Egypt

was but a cloud on the horizon

& Cairo its desert, palms. joys

& sorrows only a memory.

we were paid to-day in gold &

consequently change it at a premium

Found our way to the galley

tonight & secured a chicken & a 

few other eatables. The crew are

a very decent lot.

Sunday 11. Have been going 10 knots all

night so have progressed on our

journey - Passed Rhodes & Karpathas

at 8 this morning & entered the

Aegean & since then have been

passing islands continuously. Several

have lighthouses & one had a town

perched on it. Col Green conducted

service this morning. Genl. Birdwood

made a few remarks & told us that

we were advancing on the Dardanelles

we have a big force of Germans to

face & a tough proposition we

will carry a days rations, 200 rounds

of ammunition & water as there will

be a difficulty in getting supplies. we

expect to land tomorrow probably

under fire.

Monday 12th at about 5 o'clock this morning

we arrived off Lemnos our concentration

base passing the huge super Dreadnaught

Queen Elizabeth which was

lying off the Island & piloted by a

diminutive torpedo boat entered

the Harbour. Placid water of Lemnos

harbour lying plac amid the [[?]]

hills. The ^ sunlit green hills covered with

verdant grass sloping gently down

to the waters edge were restful to

the eye after the everlasting glaring sunlight

of the Egyptian desert. The green

fields slopes with flocks of sheep browsing

quietly, the little white villages & cottages

nestling in the folds of the hills, the

ploughed fields, the hay rucks &

the medieval looking windmills all

looked so peaceful & remote from

the world that it gave one's eye a

clock to look upon the line of huge green

battleships stretched across the harbour

mouth. There were already a number

of transports here when we arrived

& several have come in since. There

are a number of tents ashore where the

3rd Brigade & some French troops are

camp & a wireless installation. A

few small guns guard the entrance

to the harbour which is surrounded

& deep tho rather small . There is a

hospital ship here also a number of

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