Letters from Wilfred Evans to his family, 1916 - Part 4

They constitute one of the largest
barracks in the world & are built
of stone with nice verandahs
around them & three stories high,
& cover acres & acres of ground.
We then came on the Egyptian
Army isd quarters, which & their
we saw the black recruits being
drilled.  The Egyptian Army is drawn
largely from the Soudanese I
believe & they are very well trained &
after serving for several years in
the Army they are used as policemen
so that the Cairo police are a fine
body of men & they are beautifully
dressed.   In the summer they are
clothed in white with the usual 
red tarboosh on the head, & their
uniforms are always clean & neat.
In the winter they wear a kind of

dark serge uniform which looks
very well especially as the buttons &
trappings are always highly polished.
We watched for some time on Saturday
the mounted recruits being trained
in horsemanship, vaulting on to their
horses without stirrups, then sitting
on their horses without stirrups & with
their arms folded behind their backs
& the horses trotting round a circle
led by one man acting as guide
who had his reins & stirrups.  Then
they performed various arm exercises
with their horses proceeding at
a trot.   After this we rode on
further & chanced to pass a
place which was being decorated
for Mahomet’s birthday which was
on the morrow.   Numerous large
marquies had been erected

around a square in which some
kind of performance was to
take place & the marquees
were beautifully fitted up with
carpets & chairs arranged
along the walls - most of them
being fine plush cushioned chairs
- & hundreds of lamps gaily
decorated were hanging from
the roofs.  The natives were hard
at work decorating for the next
day.   After this we at last came
to the Tombs of the Khalifs or
City of the Dead where there
were numbers of comparatively large
buildings stretching along both
sides of the road for some mile
or two which enclosed the remains
of the old Khalifs. They are in fairly
good repair & as in most cases
constitute mosques as does almost

every building which surrounds the
dead.   Of course they are not used
now. A great deal of excavation
has been done here & gruesome
remains frequently presented themselves,
in one pile there were dozens of
skulls.   We had quite a pleasant
afternoon & returned with a good appetite.
Today I received a parcel from Ern & Alice
& a p Sydney Mail also, the former
containing some edibles which I
would have simply gloried in if I
had received them at Gallipoli
where every man who received a
parcel was the envy of the rest
though they were always shared.
I must write & thank him for
them.  By the way, I went to
the native bazaar the other day

to get some things which I
have long intended to send.
I had quite an enjoyable
afternoon bargaining - I
think I told you I got
some scent, then I indulged
in some brassware - one single
vase & a smaller pair, then
a blouse length, & a silk
shawl.   Please take your
pick & then send one of the
others to the four other three different
families.   I got something for
the womenfolk only as I
think they like things better than
the men.   I thought probably some
of the brass work would suit you
best & I thought the smaller pair,
& then the blouse length would
gladden Mab's heart, & probably
Linda would agree with the shawl

& Alice the single vase.   But
you please yourself.   I hope
they arrive safely they are
being sent by registered post,
the brassowork is being sent by the
dealer & I am sending the silks
tomorrow.   Hope you will
like them, they will be delayed
by customs probably but we 
are exempted I believe but
don't be alarmed if they don't
arrive for a week or two after
the letter.   Much love to
all from
Your loving son,
Wilf.
I hope you are well & not
worrying my dear

9^th L.H. Regt.
Heliopolis
25.1.16.
My dear mother,
It is only a few
days since I wrote my last
letter to you but I must try &
keep up the sequence.  No more mail
has arrived since then, except local
letters but we are getting mails
beautifully here, as we now avoid
Lemnos & the Anzac beach which
I think must have accounted for
many letters & parcels. I think I had
been to dinner with Gwen Evans when
I wrote you last, & went to see

her off the next night, &
forget if I told you that I
met there a man named
Dr Jones who went to school
with the Hughes boys & was in
the same tennis club as Stanley
Ernest & Eileen Hughes. He also
knew the place where father
grandfather lived & was
quite interesting to talk to.
He has recently obtained a
commission in an English
regiment, has been out
here for over twelve months
but only obtained his commission
a month ago.  Since then I
have led a very quiet life
for the very obvious reason
that until the next pay day
which is today, money was
rather scarce (in the native

language (mafish feluci)
I have lived for the whole 
week on about 5/- or less which is
a ‘meritorious performance in
Egypt where a step outside
the door means money.
So that I have little news
to tell you this time, have
paid several visits to
hospital where several fellows
I know are ill. Dr Stephen
is in bed, first had a bad
cold, then it settled in one
eye which has been very
bad indeed, poor old chap,
but he is on the mend now.
We had a very nice ride

some days ago through
Matorrhea where the
well is where Mary is
reputed to have rested with
Joseph on her way to
Egypt.   I think I described
it to you once before.
We rode through the
village on the main road &
then turned off through
the irrigated fields.  These
are still very beautiful,
& now have young
crops of wheat & barley
growing, with patches
of broad beans, & whole
fields of bersene which
is Egyptian clover & 
resembles lucerne, & forms