Diary of Verner Gladders Knuckey, 1916 - Part 2

18
as we see what the poor Infantry
have had to go through in this
country and yet to get to France
every man in the Regiment is
willing to shoulder the pack.
But it is no use, nothing will

come of the report and something
fresh will come along
next week. This war will
come to an end and our
fellow Australians will return
home from their hard fought

battles in France and some day
at Broadmeadows or some other
parade grounds a huge muster
parade will be held when the
space that should be occupied
by the 8^th Light Horse will be
vacant. Then the G.O.C. will
ask who should be filling it
and the Authorities will suddenly 

19
remember that our regiment should
be there, the records will be turned
up and it will be published in
our "Argus" and "Age". Missing,
8th Light Horse, last heard of
in the Arabian desert about the
year 1916.
I have always been optimistic
and said to my mates to just
wait as our turn will come in
time but even I am losing my
faith in such hopes as so far
we have clung too. As far as
fitness is concerned we are not
equal with the raw recruit
away in the camps of Australia,
our work is tedious and tiresome
but not hard. there is
no comparison in my own
case now as three weeks after
I entered camp in Seymour.
 

20
out in this desert for four months,
food none too good and there is
no denying we have to face our
share of hardships, in our camp
at present a man cannot even
get a dose of salts, every man
in camp is asking for them,
the natural consequence is that
with the slightest scratch on
the arm turns to septic poisoning
usually, every second man
had a hand or arm or leg
with a bandage on. And yet
all that we want is a change
for a week or so to some camp
near civilization and our men
would once more be fit to face
any fighting the war can offer.
Many of us want to face it without
the rest. Would welcome
anything to move out of here. 
 21
I have mentioned different English regiments
whilst writing this account, perhaps
a few words here would prove
of interest. In saying we are the
only Australians in Egypt now I
cannot be far wrong, six weeks or
two months ago we had about one

hundred and seventy thousand of
our men here but so far as can
be gathered unofficially they are all
in France and England, at Tel-el-Kebir
where our details are
quartered there were thirty thousand
today only the details are camped
at that spot, Ferry Post a few
miles from here we had a large
camp of Colonials, today they
are all English ^troops our last camp
viz Ferry Post rail head in our
time was made up of our own
regiment and a few Engineers.
 

22

now it is four or five times as

large and with the exception of

A & B squadron of the 8th the

camp comprises Tommies. The

first English I came in close contact

with was at Serafusim Rail 

Head. The Ayrshire Royal Horse

Artillery comprised of men from

Scotland who had gone through

an eighteen months course of solid

training at home and came direct

to our camp from there. I made

a few good friends amongst

this Battery and they were what

the Australian termed hard

cases, for a long time I could

not follow their conversation as

it was very broad scotch and

often used to think how certain

friends in Melbourne would have
 23

loved to hear them talk. A party of

four or five of them would come

to our tent every night and stay

till about 11 p.m. One man, by

name Mollie McPherson would

have us in roars of laughter all

night and we gave them such

a good time during our stay

there that if Mollie ever heard

one of his countrymen speak

slightingly of us he would at

once want to fight him. Many

funny things happened in connection

with our friends there

and the morning we came away

they all came over to say goodbye

and make a group photograph

which I now have in

my collection. I have spoken

already of the men we have had

24

in the trenches here, and am afraid

more of us were sorry to hear

that they had orders to move to

another camp. Then there are

the Royal Sussex, the King's

own rifles (Welsh) and numerous

other units, one cannot remember

who are in at the Rail Head.

But there is a regiment, or

portion of one out here in our

trenches now, came from the

Rail Head and since their

arrival at that camp have interested

me very much. They are

a mixture of negroes, creoles

and white men in appearance

only I suppose they all have

black blood in their veins, they

are known as the W.I's as they

came from the West Indies.
 25

hailing from Mexico and the

numerous small states of Central

America such as Hondorous,

Gutamala, Brit Guiana and

other places. Some are the

fairest of negroes and yet one

cannot associate with him the

name of niggar as there is

such a vast difference between

them and the local make of

blacks. Our Gypo niggar is a 

miserable, crawling disease

stricken individual, to your face

a cringing being with his

whining "Saieda" to your face

and steal your socks behind

your back, always got the

cry of "Give it mungaree" on

his lips and ready to accept the

rottenest of food as a gift. 

26

Put him up beside these W.I's and

one soon sees the difference. The

latter are are well built race, some

giants, very neat in their uniform

and seem to carry themselves with

a dignity all their own, superior

in many cases to the white man.

and yet they do not push themselves

into our company, probably

because they have received many

a scrub from the cads and

ignorant ones of our race. They 

talk no language but English,

write home in English and seem

to be Englishman as much as we

are only are black. They never

speak first but once you break

through their reserve, you find

yourself talking to an intelligent

thoughtful man who knows as
 27

much if not more than yourself.

I watched them at the church service

last Sunday night in the Y.M.C.A.

and they sang as lustily our hymns

as anyone could sing. Although

the niggar here seems to think

color means relationship he soon

wakes up to his error, one of

the Gypos would never dream of

striking a soldier although I am

sorry to say many times they

have cause, one day last week

a dispute arose between two of

the blacks and the Gypo struck

the West Indian with a stick, if

he has any brains he will not

attempt it again for I don't 

doubt but what he thought the

butt end of an earthquake had

struck him when the Indian had

finished with him.

28

Now that we have these men out

near our camp I expect to see

more of them and probably will

have more to write about them

later on.

There I have mentioned the Bickerneal

Camel corp and also sent

home photos of them. they are a

fine race of men, not so large in

build, if tall they are thin but

usually short and wiry. no matter

what conditions you find him

under he has the same happy smile

and a greeting of "Salaam Johnny".

and they think a lot of us

Australians but usually has no

time for the Englishman. They are

passionately fond of knives or

wristlet watches, in fact would

almost sell their souls for either

but they are as honest as the day.
 29

On one occassion I wanted one to give

me a badge from off his uniform, they

said they had none to spare, a few

minutes after one was admiring

my wristlet watch so I took it

off and handed it to him for

closer inspection, he calmly picked

out a badge and handed to me

and pocketed my watch, of course

I got excited and though mounted

on a swift camel he did not try

to get away but gave me back

my watch for his badge, he

thought it a fair exchange, needless

to say I was of a different

opinion. Those men do day

patrol on camels out in parts

where we cannot go on horseback,

we often come in contact

with them and if they speak English

the conversation is very interesting.

30

We seem to be in a very strange

country as regards climate, the

present month is real summer, of a 

day time it must register quite,

115 or 120 deg. in the shade, our

hot winds must run it up 50 deg.

higher for they do scorch at times,

and yet last Saturday some of

us went through a peculiar experience

whilst on night patrol.

I have already told you how we

go out in groups of threes and

camp for the night some miles

in front of the trenches, then in

the morning advance in extended

order to Mt. Bole six miles further

on. The morning in

question we started to advance

at 4.30 a.m. through a dense

fog, impossible to see fifty yards

ahead and the fog so bad that
 31

our clothes were soon wet and drops

of water hanging to our eye brows

and moustache. I pushed slowly

forward in a south eastern direction

and though I crossed many tracks

they were old ones. at about 6 a.m.

I came across what I was looking

for namely the track of our

day patrol about a mile from

Mt. Bole and soon picked up

my mates. We are all supposed

to return to camp together but

on a morning of this sort they

usually straggle into camp in

twos and threes but this time

we came in together as every man

was able to meet. We soon learn

to trust our horses more than

our own knowledge and it never

fails, once during the morning

my horse whinnied and a reply

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came back not a quarter of a

mile away on my left, I tried to

find the man and found after

that he tried to find me and yet

we did not meet for over an hour

and that was miles away from

the spot, if we had left it to the

horses they would have done it

in a few minutes. If a man

gets lost he lets his horse go as

it pleases and always he lands

at the entrance of our barb wire

entanglements. On more than one

trip a horse has come galloping

into camp during the night

leaving his rider stranded out on

the desert, one morning last week

my mare was loose and just

made a start for home but, at

a call from me she waited & I

was saved an unpleasant experience.
 33

July 1st 1918  Sunday

Our stay in this camp has come

to an end at last. we are to move

in to the Rail head early tomorrow

morning. "A" Squadron is to come

out to relieve us. Although none

of us were anxious to come out

here in the first case nearly every

one is sorry to be leaving, we are

just as far from the civilised

world at one camp as the other,

out here a man knows what

he has to do, gets his regular

duties and after that can rest

satisfied that he won't be interfered

with again until it comes

his turn for duty. The case is

altogether different at the Rail

Head, the squadrons will be

joined up and thus numerous

fatigue duties must be done everyday,

we have more work to do

34

an more bosses, still one cannot

choose his camp so tomorrow

morning our troubles once more

begin as our officer very aptly

put it this morning.

I have not had any cause

to complain during my stay here,

had two visits to Ismailia and

could have had more for the

asking but anyone knowing

that town will quite understand

that two was enough, during my

last visit I secured some seeds

of a tree very common over here

and which I have long been trying

to secure, they are on their

way home now and have sent

full instructions for cultivation as

they would be a novelty in

Edgar Street. I have never seen the

flower in Victoria up till now.
 35

The principal reason that took me

to Ismailia for my second visit was

to get some films I had forwarded

to Cairo to be developed. I was

disgusted to find my long dirty

trip was in vain as the military

censor at Cairo had taken possession

of them. I have written

to him giving details of every

picture taken by me in the hope

that they will be returned only

my own opinion is that its a

case of "Mafish photos". It makes

a big break in the collection in

Australia as some of the pictures

I cannot get repeated. Crossing 

the canal on my way back I

got a splendid view of a

war boat coming up stream

which had provision on board

for aircraft and with anti-aircraft

guns mounted on her.

36

I took two pictures, one in front

and one behind but so far have

not had them developed. In future

my films must not be sent to

Cairo or they all will go the way

of their late brothers.

Well, as I have already said

after today we are finished with

patrols for a while. I suppose

they consider we are needed here

and yet it seems an awful

farce, when we first came out

there was supposed to be a hope

that the enemy would attack 

and our night patrols seemed

necessary but nothing has ever

come of it and we go out

night after night, do our ride

in the morning and come home 

again, same report every morning.

"Nothing doing". One man

has written home to say he is
 37

boundary riding but we have our

joke that the duty of the night

patrol is to keep big black beetles

that are very plentiful here from

entering our camp. One hard

case came in the other morning

with the report that during the

night three of them advanced

on him, he fixed his bayonet

and after a hard fight accounted

for two of them but the third

was able to dodge him and

got through to our camp.

The first really severe month

is over, the next two I believe

are the worst but we have had

some very trying weather lately.

Generally speaking the cold

nights are gone, our extra

pair of blankets have been called

in, we are only now supposed

to have one per man and no