Letters from Frederick Warren Muir, 1914-1915 - Part 3

of good fruit quite cheaply, ordages cost 5^d a dozen & we
get very good tomatoes for 4^d a dozen. Dates figs + nuts are
also very cheap. We cannot procure an Australian
newspaper in Cairo for love or money much as we
would like to get one. There is a British Soldiers Cafe
in Cairo where we can get good meals & also has
good writing and reading rooms. There is also a
soldiers home & a Soldiers Club for the benefit of troops
The sand out here gets everywhere, we find it in our
hair, in our rifles, in our beds and in in our
food, it clings worse than the Arabs, the desert stretches
out of sight in every direction except towards Cairo
where the Nile makes the land fertile. We march out
about 4 miles over the desert every day, it is very hard
going climbing over the everlasting sandhills, but we
are getting used to it now.
Cairo is a very fine city and very cosmopolitan.
all nationalities are represented and one needs a
smattering of French to get on properly although most
of the shopkeepers have a knowledge of English.
The European quarters are fine and well laid out
and there are many fine shops and buildings
the native quarter however is for the most part
derty & squalid with mean, narrow streets with
ramshackle buildings although here are a few fine
oriental buildings to be seen. The numbers of street
hawkers in these parts of the town are simply
marvellous. The majority of the things they sell are
native delicacies which appear fearful and
wonderful to our unaccustomed eyes. Sugar cane

is esteemed a great delicacy by the natives & large quantities
is sold from barrows. There is a good tram service in
the city & the trains run very smoothly although not too
fast. We have not had much chance to have a
good look around Cairo yet but will do so at our
first opportunity. The road to Mena through the
environs of the city runs through some picturesque
spots. It crosses the Nile in a couple of place which
are spanned by fine iron bridges. The Nile is
very pretty & fringed with bushes as in the
days of moses & many houseboats are ranged along
the bank. These are occupied by many of the society
people & high officials of the city. Many fine
native houses are to be seen in the suburbs with
large well kept gardens. As we get further out
The road on either side is lined with rich bla fields of
black mud which are watered by the overflow of
the Nile. Every available inch of ground is cultivated
right up to the road & the amount of produce grown 

on a small patch is almost incredible.
Since the outbreak of war with Turkey
has been under martial law and there is great
excitement in Cairo now owing to the Proclamation
of the British Protectorate. The native press all view
the proposed change with favor and very little trouble
is anticipated. The Australian & new troops will be
represented in the celebrations on the accession of the
New Sultan.
We still have the Y.M.C. a representatives
with us & tents are being erected for concerts & writing
purposes. A picture show is being erected in the
camp so that we will have a little amusement.
There are no regular theatres in Cairo, but there is
a music hall something like the Tivoli & several
picture shows & an Opera house which is closed
at present.
I have run across several people I know
since I have been had a visit from Roger Richards
last night. The following is his address in case
Jack would like to know it;
"Head Quarters Transport.
3rd Battalion
1st Infantry Brigade
1st Australian Division
Cairo. Egypt
we did not think when we left Sydney that we
would spend Xmas amid the sands of the
Egyptian deserts but we anticipate quite a
good time. I am writing to most of my friends &
relatives as I get the chance but writing facilities 

are few in camp at present. I am writing this letter
on an empty biscuit box on paper that I got from
a Cairo hotel. I will be able to write regularly
now that we have settled down for a time, I have
had three letters from you but all our mails have
not come to hand yet. Best wishes to all in
Unanderra.
Yours affectionately
Fred
"E" Company
1^st Battalion
1^st Infantry Brigade
1^st Australian Division
Cairo, Egypt 

Mena Camp
Cairo 26 Decr 1914
Dear Mum, 
we are just recovering from the
effects of Xmas. We had our Xmas dinner in
the desert on a hill just overlooking the camp,
a few of us threw in together and provided
our own dinner. we managed a very nice
little spread & had quite an enjoyable time
though not so good of course as if we had
been at home. We had dinner at night at
this hotel where they provided a very nice
meal. The place was full of soldiers
although this is one of the best hotels in Cairo &
is said to be one of the best in the world
Before we arrived here this hotel was used almost
exclusively by the British officers as the English
soldiers never had enough money to patronise
it but now it is overrun with Australian
soldiers & this is a very sore point with the
officers. 

2.
Cairo has been overflowing with soldiers for
the last couple of days. There are soldiers of all
nationalities - English, Australian, New Zealand
Egyptian and Indian ^& Ceylonese. It is amusing to see
the Australians fraternising with the dusky
Indians + Egyptians. Xmas night was a big
night in Cairo as practically all the soldiers
were in town & they painted it a very bright red.
Very little leave was granted in our camp
but nevertheless everyone who had a piastre
for his fare went out. Tram after train rolled
into Cairo packed to the last inch with soldiers
They swarmed on the footboards & coupling & finally
packed the roof to the limit. Cairo had never seen
anything like it before & the natives rushed from
all over the place to see it. We passed
large numbers of Europeans in motors on the
way in, mostly French & they all pulled up to
cheer us as we passed. at night soldiers
were to be seen everywhere - The streets were
packed & every cafe & hotel packed with them
all the cafes & hotels & a lot of the shops
were open on Xmas day, as a matter of fact
I have never seen them closed. They are open all
day Sunday & apparently all night. The cafe's
are very numerous & all sell beer + spirits.
They have tables set out on the pavements where
the customers sit to drink & gamble. we are
beginning to learn our way about Cairo now
& are having quite a good time. Things at the
Camp are settling down too. we were disappointed
in having to work to-day (Boxing Day) but did
not do very much. We have got our mess
rooms finished now & have our meals
comfortably at tables instead of grubbing round
in the sand, we can also read & write here at
2 

3.
night & this is a vast improvement In
addition big rooms have been erected by
the Y.M. C. a for the benefit of the troops & paper
& envelopes are supplied free. We commence
work at 8 o' clock when we march out to our
parade ground & return again at 2 o'clock
which completes our days work, so that we have
all the afternoon to ourselves. We find the
sand rather tiring to march over but we
are rapidly shaking off the softness we acquired
on board ship & are getting hard [[?]] again.
I posted you a newspaper with a few photos of
our troops in it, they are very poor photos however,
I also sent some cigarette cards for the children.
This appears to be the home of the cigarette. There
are dozens of shops which sell nothing but
cigarettes & there are thousands of different brands.
It is almost impossible to buy pipe tobacco or
cigars - there is nothing to be purchased but
the eternal cigarette.
The Australians are very popular in
Cairo chiefly I think on account of the amount of
money they spend. It is estimated that the Australian
spend nearly £4000 a day in the city or about
£30,000 a week & this does not include the amount
spent on regimental contracts etc. This is more
money than was spent even in the best tourist
seasons & so many firms have been saved
from bankruptcy & are more prosperous than
they have been for many years. The Australians
can do as they like here just now for no one
interferes with them you so long as they you have
Australia on your shoulders. This includes
the police who always make themselves
scarce in the event of trouble. It is very
amusing to see the soldiers parading round
Cairo on diminutive donkeys. These donkeys 

4
are only 3 or 4 feet high & you could comfortably
tuck one under each arm & walk away with
them. Round the Pyramids you also see
soldiers perched on solemn looking camels.
The motion of the camel however to the rider
resembles that of a small boat in a choppy
sea & is far-from comfortable till you get
used to it.
I went in & had a look at the Zoological
gardens the other day. They are very fine & beat
Sydney out of sight. They are very well laid
out & there is a magnificent collection of
animals. We noticed a few parrots from
Australia who looked like old friends
we still have Dora- the monkey
with us & she lives contentedly in the cooks lines
where she does remarkably well. The vegetables
we get here are very magnificent & we have
nothing like them in Australia. The soil round
here is so rich that everything grows to a
huge size. You can almost see the crops
growing as you watch them. It never rains
here & the natives tell us that it has only rained
five times during the last twelve years. all the water is
obtained from the Nile which is the life of Ex Egypt
I had a visit from George Fishlock the
other day. He is in the third Infantry Battalion. There
are quite a number of local boys in the third
They all sent their names for insertion in the Wollongong
papers for a Xmas greeting. we hear many rumours
of what is happening in Australia but have got no
authentic news, as it is impossible to get Australian
papers here. I think I asked you in my last letter
to send along an occasional paper. A "Sunday Sun" or
"Sunday Times" would prove acceptable also a stray
"Bulletin" as these contain all the news of the week.
Please do not send all these papers every week
but just an occasional one, say every week, just to
 4

keep us in touch with things & I assure you
they will be appreciated by the whole company.
I wrote to Miss Mckay the other day I addressed
it to "Station St." Harris Park. I think this is her
right address but am not quite sure. I have also
written to Mr Rose & Uncle Charlie & many others.
There are many beautiful oriental things to be seen
here, all hand worked by the natives. I will send you
a few things when we get the back pay which is owing
to us from the voyage but which they are apparently
in no hurry to pay us.
Everyone now seems to be looking forward
to New Year's Eve which promises to be an even wilder
night that Xmas Eve & will be another red letter
day - or night - in the annals of Cairo. I
cannot think of anything further to say at present
but will rake up some more news for the next
mail. Best wishes to all in Unanderra
Yours affectionately
Fred. 

Sydney Y. M. C. A.
on Active Service with Australian imperial Forces.
Mena Camp
Cairo
4 December 1914
Dear Mum,
we have entered the New
Year safely. We had a very quiet
time for the New Year  as we worked
nearly all day & had a march
again at night. It went rather
against the grain to work on New
Year’s  day but we made the best
of it. We received a ten of chocolate
each from the Australian War
Contingent Association, London as
a new years gift & also a box of
cigarettes from the French residents
of Cairo. we are also to get a
knife from Sir George Reed.