Diary of Alice Ross-King, 1916 - Part 1

Had Xmas dinner with Colonel F &
Major Miles at Shephards. In
the middle of dinner an English
Colonel came up to the table &
said the Austr men were rioting
out in the street & that the sen.
Officers were to go out & check them.
So Col F & Major Miles who are
Light Horsemen went out. It
seems that a crowd of our
fellows decided to have a joy
ride in Capt House's little
car, Two of them got it started
& so many others hopped on
that it was overloaded & wd not
go. They treated it like a jibbing
horse, finally lighted a fire
under it's belly. burnt the
car up.

Col. F. recited Omar Kyam
in the Garden of Shepherds
He is 6ft 3 & he does not
suit the part.
Harry. on the Canal,
Wednesday
Went to the camp to see the
horses. Col F. & Major Milne
such lovely animals. We
took sugar for them. The
horse lives are very nice 

Memoranda of Reference, &c.
As Addresses, Quotations, and other matters of Interest.

We have a new O.C. and
Matron. Col. Paul De Crepyney
He is a South Australian. Mary
Findlay is Matron. A lovely
person. Silver & black hair. She
has been in charge of C. of E
Grammar school. Trained
at M.H. nice to have another
Victorian. She is a much better
type than Miss Bell. We feel
Miss B has been badly treated
but it will be a happier
unit without her.

1 January     1 SATURDAY [1 -365]     1st Month 1916
Circumcision. Bank Holiday, Scotland. Holiday, Stock Exchange

"Hold Thou my hand, The way
is dark before me"-
I did not have my usual
good omen for the New Year
last night.
Harry is here, which is very
beautiful. I sat with him
on the piazza until nearly
ten, listening to the music
& watching the big Bonfire
in the distance at no 4 and.
This is the first time I have
slept the New Year in since
my sixteenth birthday. 

1916 31 Days     2 Sunday—2 aft Christmas [2-364]    2 January 

Harry improving. Am
having a delightful time. Still
as much in love as ever.

I have charge of a Typhoid
Ward. They are moved to my
ward when the spots appear
or in their 3rd week. As
soon as their Temp goes down
they are moved to the rotunda
so that, although I only have
47 beds they are all acute
cases. We are nursing
them in small rooms which
is hard because they are
nearly all delirious. I have
3 staff nurses & 5 orderlies
do our own releiving,
2 night nurses.
We work 14 hours one day
and 1/2 day off every 2nd day

3 January     3 MONDAY [3-363]    1st Month 1916
Quarter Sessions Week

Went out for a drive with
H. All over the Mattaria roads
& down to the Canal. Got some
good snaps. Especially of
native woman. After dinner
sat on piazza with H untill
10 00. Moonlight beautiful
lighting up the rotunda &
Balcony. Eric G. still in Hosp.
He is very weak & wretched
looking. Waiting to return
to Aust. 

1916 31 Days     4 TUESDAY [4 -362]     4 January 

H came along & we spent my
hour off on the roof looking
at the album. He is delighted
with it. I developed the
mattaria films - They are good
& will always remind me
of a very happy day. H went
out by himself in the after noon
& came home very exhausted.

5 January     5 WEDNESDAY [5-361]     1st Month 1916
4h 45m A.M. (Greenwich). Dividends due at Bank

H kept in bed today being
knocked out after yesterday
I rushed into the bank, I
saw F. Spent the rest of
the time with H.

Watched a lovely sunset
and afterglow with X on
the flat roof. 

1916 31 Days     6 THURSDAY [6-360]     6 January 
Epiphany. Twelfth Day

Went to Mr Allan's Dinner
party. 5 officers & himself, Sister
Baker, Mowbray myself & a
married lady Chaperon.
very swagger dinner, too many
wines for the. Did not get home
until 12.45.

Mowbray died Pneumonia Jan 20th
1916

Went to the Barrage by Motor
visited Mr - the director
had tea with him. A
wonderful Afterglow on
the way home, some
good snaps
 

7 January     7 FRIDAY [7-359]      1st Month 1916

To the Pyramids with Harry
by tram. A glorious afternoon
snaps along the road
delightful. A glorious day
to remember.

Guts gone to Australia 

1916 31 Days      8 SATURDAY [8-358]     8  January 
Cambridge Lent Term begins. Fire Insurances expire

Harry sent to Helonan. We
are expecting a lot of patients
from Alex
I went out to Helonan this
afternoon, Saw Clarrie Green.
Sister Cuthbert went with me
H & I went for a short
walk round Helonan. He
is still very weak.

9 January     9 Sunday—1 aft Epiph [9-357]     1st Month 1916

Had a yarn to F. He
is very depressed about
his wife. She is spitting
bloodstained phlem.

A letter from Merve. Decided
not to answer it.

The boys up from the
Canal very ill indeed.

On duty we just go flat
out trying to control
delirium with gutter baths.
We have some very good
orderlies.

1916 31 Days     10 MONDAY [10-356]     10 January 

Went out to Helonan. H. met
me at station. We took a
farm Garry & drove to the
river, then away along
it to a native village &
then past the village along
a beautiful winding road.
The view sunset was glorious
we got some good snaps
It was a most happy day.
Every day my love grows
deeper. We had a
funny old character of a
Garry driver. His horses are
good & shiny & fat & so
is he. He takes a fatherly
interest in me.

11 January      11 TUESDAY [11 -355]     1st Month 1916
Hilary Law Sittings begin

Major Manning came to see
me. He comes fairly often -
Miss Clinch here at the same
time. Invited us both to
dinner there on Thursday
night. I had to accept
though I'm not keen on
the Major

The arabs are very
cheeky now the boys have
gone to he Canal. It is not
save to go out alone.
I went into Cairo today by
Tram. There was a cloud
of locusts so thick we could
not see ahead. The tram
rails were greasy with
squashed locusts

1916 31 Days     12 WEDNESDAY [12 -354]     12 January
 3h 38 A.M. (Greenwich)

Out to Helonan - repeated
the drive of the previous 
days. Harry looking
better
 

13 January     13 THURSDAY [13-353]     1st Month 1916

dinner with Miss C
postponed until Mond Fri.
saw F to night. 
Eric Cutteridge gone to
Australia.

1916 31 Days     14 FRIDAY [14 -352]     14 January
Oxford Lent Term begins

H came into Cairo. We drove
to the Grain Market on the
Nile, went on board the
different grain boats. Harry
never has any difficulty
with the Arabs. He likes them
& they seem to know it. He
is seldom worried for
backshesh. The sunset was
beautiful. H. caught the
six train to Helonan
I returned & Major M
picked me up in the car
& took me to Miss' C. for
dinner. We had a very
tough dinner & afterwards
prayers. We left at 9
PM & motored through
Cairo by the tombs of the
Caliphs. It was weird!
for about 20 minutes
we motored through a
City of tombs at 10.30 in the 
dead white moonlight

15 January    15 SATURDAY [15-351]    1st Month 1916

Claude Morlet here
looking well Is to be
put on duty. His brother
also here.
drive with Bert Sutherland
He is doing good work
in the theatre, He and
Hume Turnbull and Balcony
the only middle aged medico
battchelors. Wonder who 
will get Bertie? I don't
like Gynos.
 
1916 31 Days        16 Sunday—2 aft Epiph [16-350]           16 January 

Out to Helonan to see H.
drove along the broad
white road in the same.
garry. Major Sabine
took me out. He went
to the Sewfick while H &
I went driving. Harry
& He & I had dinner at
the Sewfick. A good
dinner it was. Afterwards
at the train met Sister
Bonnan, M. Sabine escorted the
two of us home. Sabine has
just been promoted.