Typed copy of letters from Frederick William Rowe to his family, 1914-1915 - Part 2

MENA                                                              AI TRANSCRIPTION  
Dec. 20th 1914
Dear Mother,
Yesterday afternoon a party of us engaged a Guide and a
motor car and went into Cairo we first visited the Museum.
The Museum is built out of Granite and Alabaster it is a
beautiful building and at present they are enlarging it. They
have only got Ancient Egyptian relics in it, there being no
Foreign exhibits at all. They have got some priceless ancient
relics here and some of the mummies date back 4,000 years before
Christ. They have got the mummified body of Rameses the Great
he reigned about 4,500 years before Christ. You can see him
with all the body bound round with linen of course you are not
allowed to touch as the linen is rotten and will crumple up to
powder. The face is uncovered and has all the skin complete
and the expression is wonderful. He must have been very old
when he died his hair being quite grey and is still on his
scalp. They have got the Tombs and Mummified bodies of most of
the Ancient Kings including Cheops the builder of the largest
Pyramid also his wife. They have also got the small sphinx's
out of the Temple of the Sphinx which was supposed to be built
about 6,000 years ago. They are wonderfully carved out of solid
Granite and are each about 6 feet long. Some of the Tombs which
they placed the Mummified Bodies in are beautiful being wonder-
fully carved out of solid alabaster and others are made of Granite
and Sycamore Wood, but of course the wooden ones are all decayed,
most of the tombs have the different gods they used to worship
carved on the outside and when they put a body in the tomb they
used to put different meats and food inside, also a house made
of limestone about 12" big for the spirit to live in. They used
to believe that the Spirit would come out of the body and feed on
the meats etc. and then go to heaven. One of their Gods was the
Cow which they still hold sacred. The Very ancient Mohomedens
used to believe that the soul would after having fed would drink
the water of life from the Cow. There is one Idol in the Museum
the life size of a Cow made about 2,000 years before Christ - the
Colors are beautiful. Under the lead is the statue of a black
man he is supposed to be the dead man and underneath the Cow is
the statue of a red man supposed to be drawing the blood of life
from the Cow. This Idol has a tomb in the shape of an arch and
the way the interior is painted with magnificent colors.
They have got a lot of Egyptian Jewellery belonging to
different Princesses dating back about 4,000 years before Christ.
You talk about English jewellery it is not in the same street as
 

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the Egyptian. Some of their Necklaces and Bangles are lovely and
are of Priceless Value.
The sand here is alive with beetles called Scarabs these
beetles are Sacred and if any of the Arabs around here see you kill
one they will commence praying. Well in the Museum they have got
these Scarabs cut out of Precious Stones some of them are very
ancient and the way they are cut would be a credit to any present
day engraver.
We then went to the Citadel which is right in the native
quarters of Cairo. The Citadel itself is a very large fortress
and has walls about three feet wide. I suppose the walls are
twice as high as the Old Melbourne Gaol in Russell Street and on
top of the Wall all round there are modern guns. Inside this for-
tress there is the Greatest and largest Mosque in Egypt it is
called the Mohomed Ali Mosque. It was started in 1821 and was
finished in 1860. There is a beautiful Tomb inside the Mosque
where the Man who started it (The Grandfather of the present
Sultan) is buried. The interior of the Mosque is something lovely
there is a huge carpet on the floor about 1" thick and you have
to take your boots off before
Page five of the letter is missing
(contd) coming to Egypt here. There is another mail from
Australia here I believe and I am looking forward to one from you.
I forgot to mention to you bbefore I have been made Acting
Bombadier that is when a vacancy occurs I will be made full
Bombadier. As it is I now wear a stripe. It is not the best of
jobs but is all in the game so I must not growl. How are you
keeping. Do you still get your bad turns. I hope you are not
worrying because you have nothing to worry about. We are having
a good time and are all well contented the boys here in camp say
we are not soldiers but tourists. Well Mother I have no more
news to write and it is getting late so I must close. With
best love to you and Dad also Jack Roy and Jean
Your loving son
Fred
PS

I suppose you know that today is the greatest day in Egypt
The English have taken over from today.
 

MENA
Jan 1Oth
1914
Dear Mother,
Your letter to hand dated Dec. 7th. It is the first letter
I have had for about 5 weeks. I was beginning to wonder if I
was going to get any at all. I also received one from Aunt Emma,
who tells me that Jessie has a little son and that the boys were
giving Joe a rough time over it.
We are well settled down in camp now and for the past week
have been doing Field Manouvering and start firing next week then
the fun will commence. I have put on a bit of weight since I left
Melbourne and now weigh close on 11 stone which is not too bad.
We had a bit of excitement on last Tuesday evening. A storage
reservoir which is used for storing the drinking water for the
camp burst it was a fairly large one made out of reinforced concrete
and at the time it was full up to the top. It made a terrible mess
of things when it burst it made a gap in the ground about 12 feet
deep and about 15 feet wide it swamped the Engineers out and also
the first and second batteries of Field Artillery. It was funny to
see the Engineers digging the Rifles and their belongings out of
the sand, they were buried about three feet deep. There was a store
shed in the road of the flood and it got crumpled up to matchwood
and everything in it was either covered with sand or washed away.
On the same night a Mare in our battery had a foal it was not fully
formed and died only living a couple of hours.
Things are very quiet in Egypt here to see this camp you would
think it only an ordinary camp only on a larger scale. I am sending
you a couple of photos taken at the camp here enclosed in this
letter. There is a rumour about that this is the last letter we will
be able to write home and from now on will send the Active Service
Post Cards same as they are using at the front. I have got an idea
we will be here for some time yet as they have built mess rooms for
each battery and I suppose they cost about £50 each being built out
of good timber. Tell Ethel I have met Tom Kerr several times and
he wishes to be remembered to her. The Y.M.C.A. have got several
big timber buildings here with a piano in each. (This is not a Piano
it is something similar but gives you a pain every time you hear it
being terribly out of tune).
There are some good concerts here occasionally and we are going
to have one round the camp fire tomorrow evening it is what we call
a command night they will pick out about 16 names and they all have
to do something or get fined 5 piastres so you can imagine the fun.
The weather here is not too bad it is very hot in the day time
and turns bitter cold at night and it never rains but at early morning
the wind nearly cuts you in half.
 

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I have been up to the top of the Cheops pyramid it is a very
stiff climb and makes you very tired. I also went inside to see
the tomb but it was so crowded and the air so stuffy that I came
out again and am going inside one night next week. You soon get
tired of Cairo - I have only been in there once this last 3 weeks
I am going in again probably next Saturday to see some more Mosques
and visit some of the Arab quarters. It is very hard to find anything
at present to write about so I will close with Best love to Self
and Dad, Ethel & Fred, Jean, Roy and Jack and trust you are all well.
Your loving son
Fred
PS. I Think I will buy a Camera when I save up enough cash.
There are some lovely snaps here.
Fred.
 

Mena Jan 19th
Dear Dad,
Your letter dated Nov. 14th received today also one from
Mother dated the 8th Nov. They went onto England and came back
to Egypt again which caused the delay.
There is not very much doing here mostly the old Manouvers
etc. The Battery has gone out on a Route March full War Strength
they have gone to a place called Sekarra it is a very interesting
place and has a very ancient temple and also the oldest pyramid
is there. I should have liked to go on the march myself but it
fell to my lot to remain in camp.
You know by my previous letters that I have got a stripe now
I am acting Bombadier so that is why I am left in charge of camp
it being my turn.
On Monday next we are going for a 3 days Bivouac and are going
to do some practice firing. It might interest you to know that the
Victorian Brigade is the best Brigade of Artillery in the Camp we
have even beaten the permanent battery from Sydney and Victoria
combined and Colonel Johnston has told the Majors in the Brigade
that the fourth Battery (our battery) is the Best in the Camp.
Everything is running smoothly and all the boys seem well satisfied.
I have forwarded by the last mail a couple of photos of the Camp
and Pyramids taken by one of the boys and I am getting a few more
which I will forward on.
Well dad, we have seen Colombo, Aden, Suez, Port Said, Alexandria
and Cairo and there is not one of theso places to go anywhere near
Melbourne the more you see of them the prouder you are of Australia.
There is nothing that can touch it. You talk about Melbourne being
an Immoral City. Let me tell you it is just like a Church compared
with Cairo everyone is full up of it and very few take leave at all
unless they are going to visit some ancient places and ruins.
There are miles of Cairo where it is not safe for a white man to go and
think it is a Mecca for the Scum of the Earth. I cannot tell you
about it in a letter but perhaps you can guess what it is like some
of the main streets being worse than Little Lonsdale St. Melbourne.
I was up having supper with Leigh Price the other night you
know he is a Lieutenant in the Light Horse ve put in a good night
talking about old times etc. Aunt Emma was saying that Jessie Wilks
had a little son and that the boys were giving Joe a rough time.
I suppose Joe is as proud as a peacock.
We had a bit of a sand storm here the other day. I hope we do
not have another you cannot see a yard in front of you and your eyes
are sore for a couple of days after. Well Dad there is nothing to
write about just yet but I will be sending a letter to Jean by this
 

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maiI so if there is anything of interest she will let you know.
Remember me to them all and best love to yourself and Mum
Your loving Son
Fred
 

Mena EGYPT
Jan 16th
Dear Mother,
Today is Saturday and with it is a half day off so I will try
and scrape up a few lines of something that may interest you. I
have sent a letter by this mail to Dad and Jean and have exhausted
everything to write about so you will have to be content with a
little letter this time.
Several of the boys have received Xmas cards from you and they
say it was very kind of you to think of them. I can tell you we
all look forward to any news from Victoria. Poor old Lummy has not
received any news from his people and he was very glad to get any
news at all. I received a post card from Iona McFarlane and also
one from Mrs. Lister but I think a few of your letters have gone
astray and I am expecting them to arrive any time now.
I received a Xmas card from Ethel) about 5 minutes ago it
having gone on to England first so you can guess how long it was
before we heard any news from Australia at all. Today is what you
would call an ideal day there being no wind and the sun not too
strong the temperature being about 80° Faht. Some of the boys have
gone to town but most of them are around the mess tables writing home.
Gill Wright is sitting next to me writing to his girl. He has got
about 10 letters in one hand which he opens to find out what he is
to write about and it is dead funny to see him.
I went across to sce Harold Seeley the other night he is looking
very well and says that he is having a good time. There are a lot
of good sports in the camp so that makes one contented. I myself
expected things to be worse than what they are and I can honestly
tell you that things are better here than at Broadmeadows. I do
not think there is one in our battery who is discontented with
his lot.
It is marvellous how one settles down to the military life. At
times it seems to one to be the game he has been at for years and
you think of nothing else. There is a little canvas town of shops
opening up in the camp now and you can procure almost everything.
These shops are mostly owned by natives whom the military authorities
have issued passes to and we sometimes go over to some of them and
have a pick at the natives just to break the monotony.
Well Mother I will have more to write about next time as I am
making another trip to places of interest in Cairo next week. So
will close with best love.
Your loving son
Fred
 

Mena Camp
Pyramids
Egypt
17/1/15
Dear Jack
I received your Christmas Card today it was a Bonzer and I
am very pleased that you sent it. It was a long time coming but
arrived safely so we will call it quits.
I suppose you have got tons of Money now that you are choir
Master take care of it because I want to borrow a few quid off
when I come home.
Mum was saying that you and Floss sleep together in the tent
I suppose you think you are the Boss Cockey now that the long fellow
is at Camp. How is Floss getting on has she grown much I suppose
you take her for a run on Sundays to the Racecourse. I would like
to have her here with me we could have plenty of fun and send her
after the Camels and Donkeys.
You would enjoy yourself if you were here it is a Bonzer place
for a holiday but not much to live in all your life. We might go
the Zoo next Saturday and If I go I will send you a letter and
tell you what it was like. Do you still have fights with Fred
Sherriff I suppose by now you are able to punch him all round the
Paddock.
Remember me to Russell Thomas and tell him that he would have
a great time here with the Donkeys etc.
Well Jack it is bed time so I must close with best love
from your loving Brother
Fred
 

Mena
Egypt
Jan 21st
Dear Mother,
I have just received Ethel's letter saying that you were in the
Hospital it came as a shock to me. I did not think you would get
Pneumonia. You must have had a bad time of it and I hope you are
quite well again now. I was wondering why I have not received any
recent letters from you but I suppose you were too bad to write.
Well Mother you know you do not want to go getting ill. I expected
you to be rid of all your attacks and to be as good as gold. Do not
start getting ill because I want to tell you all about Egypt when
I come home. I do not expect you to be very fat because I know you
are built like a Crayfish (the Meat inside the bone) but that doesn't
matter as long as you are quite well and keep in the best of health.
We have been shooting today but it was not a good day for it
and on the whole the shooting was not too bad. The First Brigade
which is composed of the Three batteries from Sydney fired yesterday.
No. 1 Battery that is the Permanent Men had first shoot they did not
do too well. The Second battery followed they were even worse the
fuses being set incorrectly. The Third Battery were not too bad.
The Second Brigade that is us Victorians fired today the Sixth
Battery leading. The shooting was fairly good we fired after them
and then the Fifth followed us. The Major had a Pow Wow with us
after we returned to camp and he told us that our Shooting was the
best so far our line of fire being especially good and bringing our
team into action was also good and our time for getting the first
shot off was very quick. All they had to complain about was a couple
of men never took sufficient cover.
Well Mother you can tell by the vriting I am just sneaking the
time to write so will close with best love and trust that you are
quite well again and remain so.
Your loving son
Fred
 

Mena
Jan 30th
Dear Mother,
Your ever welcome letter to hand and I am glad that you are home
again and hope that by this time you are quite well again. You know
you do not want to catch these complaints. I thought you had quite
enough with your attacks. So look after yourself because I expect
to see you improved out of all knowledge when I return. I know you
will not put on much flesh I think you are of the Crayfish breed
(the meat between the bone) I want to tell you a lot about Egypt when
I return so do not disappoint me. I see by your letter that you met
Monty's Sister in the hospital isn't it curious how you meet people.
Monty is still in the Battery he is A Sub Section and his tent is
next to the one I am in. Nurse Finlay is still with us here. She
is at Mena Hotel where they have established a headquarter Hospital.
It is funny you referring to Norman Sheppard it was only last night
his brother Geoff was put on the strength of our Battery. He was in
the Divisional Headquarters and came over to see me with Bert Richmond
about three weeks ago and he was saying that he was full up of
Headquarters and wanted to get into a Battery. So I spoke to the
heads and found out we were short of Gunners so he applied for a
transfer and got it and arrived in the Battery last night.
Bert often comes across to see me and we see a good deal of each
other and occasionally go and have a bit of Sport. He is just the
same as of old only he has filled out a lot but still the same hard
case. Cairo is a place you soon get tired of and as I told you in
my last letter we do not go in there much. Geoff Shepherd and
myself are going to a place called Heliopolos. There is a Luna
Park there and it is like the Toorak part. We are told that the
largest Hotel in the World is here so will be able to tell you by
the next letter. As you can see by this letter we are still at
Mena and are likely to be here some time yet I think and so are just
full up of the Sand. We went out for a Bivouac the other
night and put the night in out in the Desert. We did not have much
sleep we arrived at the Camping Ground about 5.00 at night and
had horses picketted and everything secure about 7.00 then we
had a snack to eat and went to Bed. We did not get much sleep being
awakened again about 10.00 to dig Gun Pits. We finished them about
11.30 and went to bed again. We were awakened again and at 4.00
am and had to harness up the Teams and take the Guns and place them
in position and wait for the Dawn, that was the time the attacking
party were to start business. We left our position about 9.00 had
a bit of Breakfast packed up and left for Camp the Gunners having
to walk all the way about 5 miles and all through sand and I can
tell you it was no easy task.