Diary of Herbert Vincent Reynolds, 1914-1915 (second diary) - Part 4










February 1915
all that is to be seen, & they are
more or less buried in the sand, one
portion has been cleared of the sand
& the huge pillars of granite are to be
seen standing, with their huge bulk
seemingly defying the exlements of all
time, The size of some of them
being 16 ft x 3 6 x 8 6. Portions of the roof.
still remain.
My mate would not accompany me
into the chambers of the 2nd Pyramid
of "Khephren" so I quickly rushed
through with the guide but seen very
little for my trouble, there are hwo
chambers in this pyramid also, but
they are merely square holes, of
ono great size & the passages areo no great interest This pyramid
is in a far greater state of preservation
than any of the others on the outside,
it has a great amount of its alabaster
surface still intact, whereas the others
now resemble a series of steps on all
of their four sides.
[*Tues 9th*]
A large draft of reinforcements to the
1st Division joined the Division today.
We left Abbasieh camp at about 10.am
& marched out to Mena camp a distance
of about 15 miles, arriving there at about 4 pm
pretty tired, as we marched with full packs.
All the members of my unit are strangers
to me, but seem to be a pretty decent lot.
Parade this morning for medical examination
3 of the 14 reinforcements are to be boarded
as being unfit. Spent the afternoon
with the mates looking over the various
interesting spots in the vicinity of the
Sphinx
[*Thur 11th*]
On duty today from 9 am to 9 am Tomorrow
February 1915
with the guard, 4 hours on picquet
& 8 off. Our duties being to keep the
natives out of the camp lines.
[*Frid 12th*]
The 1st Brigade left camp this
morning & went to Sakara for a few
days bivouac, I remained in camp
with the guard.
[*Sat 13th*]
Headquarters sent for 3 men from those
in camp this morning, I happened to be
sent so packed up & went to Sakara on
one of the wagons reaching of bivouac at
about 7 pm, we reported got some tea &
turned in under one of the wagons for
the night. A very heavy dew falls on
the desert during the night & any sort
of shelter is looked for, that will keep it
off, the sand becomes icy cold after
sunset even though the day has been
blazing hot.
[*Sund 14th*]
We are bivouaced on the edge of the desert
here & are about 3 miles rom the Sakara
pyramids the peculiar Step pyramid
being in plain view. The inft have
been at manouveres upon the hills all
day but we have taken no part in
them yet
[*Mond 15*]
Spent the morning at streatcher drill
We were all vacinated today.
[*Tues 16th*]
Packed up early this morning ready to move
but did not do so till about 10 am when we
set out to march back to camp a distance
of about 10 miles which we accomplished
by 1 pm, The road was horribly dusty
being one of the made roads in the cultivated
country, which are built up about 10ft
above the ordinary level of the country,
this is done to prevent the one village
from being isolated from another when the
February 1915
Nile is in flood & the whole area
of the flat bed of the Nile valley
is under water. The country through
which we passed is extremely picturesque
being all under cultivation & splendidly
irrigated though some very crude & extremely
ancient methods are still in use.
The road we used passed through fields
of lucerne etc &, in places run along the
banks of irrigation canals, occasional
villages & clusters of date palms are
seen on either side, & here & there a
native with his ancient looping bullock
drawn plough at work in one of the fields
make up a change though very pretty
scene
[*Wed 17*]
Mail arrived received one letter
[*Thurs 18*]
Spent the day practicing tent errecting
on the Mena flat near the train terminus
I have been attached to B section as a
streatcher bearer.
[*Frid 19*]
Spent the day similar to yesterday
[*Sat 20th*]
Obtained leave from 10 am to 10 pm, went
out to Heliopolis & visited the old mates
in the 14th Batt, all the 4th Brigade
are camped at Heliopolis. Found Pete
Hodgetts
in camp & we spent the evening at Luna
Park.
[*Sund 21*]
Church parade at 10 am.
[*Mond 22*]
Spent the day at tent practice on
Mena flat.
[*Wed24*]
Spent the morning on Mena flat
erecting tents, the full equipment
was put up for the purpose of
an inspection by the ADMS. Gen
Williams, but after waiting long after
the arranged time, we packed up
again & was almost back to camp when
February 1915
the head & his staff came upon
the scene, however we were not called
upon to go over the performance again
much to our relief.
[*Thurs 25th*]
Granted leave to visit Cairo, then
went out to Heliopolis to see Pete
we spend the evening a Luna Park
again & had a thoroughly good time.
[*Frid 26th*]
Spent the morning on station fatigue &
was detailed for guard at 10 pm.
[*Sat 27th*]
On picquet duty 2 to 6 am also 2 to 6 pm
releived from guard at 6pm. The whole
3rd Brigade are preparing to move out
of camp.
[*Sund 28th*]
Church parade at 10 am. A heavy wind
has been blowing all day, & that means
being unable to see for dust here on
the desert. After dinner Pete was to come
out, but we missed each other somehow.
after waiting at the train terminus for
some time I went up to the pyramids
& climbed the Great pyramid of Kheops
on the top I met two Sebas chaps H
Raine & F. Stevens. The Kheops pyramid
is said to be 471 ft high each of its.
sides at the base measure 820 ft &
it covers an area of a little under
75,000 sq yds. It is estimated that
the number of stone blocks used
in its construction is 2,300,000
each averaging about 2½ tons in
weight. The space on top is
about 6 yds square & the whole surface
of the top stones is marked by with
the initials of tourists & visitors,
one of the guides most important
details is the last King Edwards
mark on one of the top stones, they never,
February 1915
fail to point to it as one of the
most interesting details of the pyramid
The sides of the pyramid resemble
a stairway but the steps are huge
in proportion being 2 6 to 3 ft in
height. Sent a small glass souvenier
home today from the Mena PO. Spent
the evening at the Empire picture show.
The whole 3rd Brigade marched out of
camp at about 9 pm, their destination
is unknown to us, but it is some scene
of active operations they are bound for.
March 1915.
[*Mond 1st*]
An issue of underclothing from the
Red Cross Society was made to us today
Met E Stones for the first time today.
they were down on the canal while
the dust up was in progress there.
[*Tues 2nd*]
Spent the morning packing & loading
up our transport wagons At 10 am
took two patients to the Mena House
in one of the horse Ambulances. Mena
House is situated near the Mena train
terminus, it was a well known
tourist hotel, but is now converted
into a military hospital.
[*Wed 3rd*]
Granted leave to visit Cairo, spent
the day with Ellis & his mates, had
a good deal of amusement, during the
afternoon in the Esbekier gardens, where
there is an open air skating rink, it is
an extremely rough affair being made
of concrete. Went to the Hotel Metropole
for tea, & after spending a rattling
good day arrived back in camp at
about 11 pm.
[*Thurs 4th*]
Spent the morning out on the desert
with the Ambulance wagons, practicing
March 1915
The loading the of wounded.
[*Frid 5th*]
Spent the morning doing ration fatigue
All the 1st Brigade went out on to
the desert for manouveres, A & B sect
went out at 2 pm I was detailed
for guard & did not go.
[*Sat 6th*]
On duty 2 to 6 am as line piquet
also 2 to 6 pm releived from guard
at 6 pm, The Brigade returned to
camp at 8 am after spending the
night out on manouveres.
[*Sund 7*]
Church parade. Mail arrived from
home Spent evening at Red Cross pictures
[*Mond 8th*]
Spent. the morning receiving instruction
in loading the hospital equipment
& the afternoon in checking the equipment
Today has been the worst we have experienced
since being here, the dust has been
almost unbearable.
[*Tues 9th*]
Spent the morning on a route march
over the desert & the afternoon in being
instructed in first aid, after which
we spent an hour in the Mena House
swiming bath, which is rather a luxury
over here as swiming in the canals etc
is prohibited for medical reasons.
[*Wed 10*]
Spent the morning on a route march
along the Gizeh road. Paid after dinner
The 3rd Contingent arrived here today
& are camped where the 3rd Brigade had
their lines.
[*Thurs 11*]
The dust has been blowing again & in
fact was even worse than last Mond.
Granted leave but did not go out of camp
till after dinner when I took a run
into Gizeh & visited the zoological
gardens The place though not large
is very beautiful, & the colection of
March 1915
animals is not very large though
what they have are really fine
specimens. All the pathways are
laid out in beautiful designs of
coloured pebbels bedded in concrete
Two bridging pontoons captured from
the turks in their effort to cross the
canal recently are on exhibition in
the gardens, & they shew signs of having
beeng in a pretty rough corner.
[*Frid 12th*]
Spent the day on Mena flat
errecting tents.
[*Sat 13th*]
The new field service cape were issued
they are after the style of the tommies.
[*Sund 14th*]
The Sebas lads in samp here held
a reunion in A Coy 8th Batt lines at
2 pm, & we all decided to have a group
photo taken in front of the Sphinx,
it was very unfortunate that so few
many were unable to turn up, those
present being J Allen, F Stevens, B Smith
W Madden, J Raine, J Kernick, J Humphries
J Kimberly, E Jensen, B Telfer, R Beardon
P Renfrey J Whidburn & myself.
[*Tues 16*]
Spent the morning on a route march
over the desert in the direction of
Sakara. A couple of fairly heavy
showers fell early this morning & the day
has been glorious, having no dust sand
blowing about has been quite a change.
This is the first rain I have seen over
here; though the 1st Division when it
arrived here first med with some pretty
wet days.
[*Wed 17th*]
The routine here is very similar from
day to day, first parade of a morning is
before breakfast when we fall in on the parade
ground, then have a short march up the sand
March 1915
hill towards the Pyramids at the top
of which we have ¼ hrs physical drill
& ^then return for breakfast, the next parade
takes up most of the morning, these vary
slightly from route marches to lectures etc
as do the afternoon parades.
Today was spent on Mena flat knots
pitching etc.
[*Thurs 18th*]
Up to the present we have been in
square ridge pole tents in this camp, but
today we had to pack them up & return
them to ordinance, bell tents being
supplied in their place in most cases,
the occupants of No 2 & No 1 tents, (the
latter being ours) have to share the space
of one of our large tortoise tents.
Spent the evening at the Pyramids
picture show.
[*Frid 19th*]
B & C sect bearers spent the morning
doing field work in some trenches out
on the desert, a route march followed
to Mena flat where we found the remainder
of the unit had the full ambulance
equipment errected, here we had dinner,
after which we packed up & returned to
camp Detailed for guard duty at 6 pm
Bad news came to hand today to the effect
that two British battleships HMS Ocean
& Irresistible & the French battleship
Bouvet have been lost at the Dardanelles
[*Sund 21*]
Spent the day in camp being detailed
for duty on the emergency streacher squad
Two patients one at 10 30 am the other at
7 pm were taken to Mena House.
[*Mond 22*]
Spent the day marking out our camp
boundarys with large humps of limestone
the previous boundary being
covered by the drifting sand
March 1915
[*Tues 23*]
Granted leave but spent a lazy day
in camp, went to the picture show
at the Empire theatre after tea. There
are five picture theatres in this camp
they are extremely roughly constructed, but
nevertheless serve their purpose, they go
under the names of "Empire", "Red Cross"
"Pathes"; "Pyramids" & the "Coliseum".
[*Wed 24th*]
A kit inspection took up the
morning a check being taken of missing
articals of equipment. Pay day.
Spent the evening at Red Cross pictures.
[*Thurs 25th*]
Obtained leave to visit Cairo. Went out
to the Citadel with R Clark, we spent a
most interesting time there, especially with
some Indians, they showed us through their
hospital & we had a good long talk to two
officers, one had been trained at the military
college at Sandhurst England & spoke the
English language equally as well as ^we ourselves,
they spoke on many subjects, & gave us a great
deal to think about, over many things we
have given little thought to, they both said
much about our attitude towards their
nationality in respect to the White Australia
policy. All the patients here were
wounded in the recent fighting on the
Suez Canal & though mostly all of them
were unable to make themselves understood
they nevertheless gave us to understand we
were welcome. After leaving he hospital
we had a look through the Mohamed
Aly mosque, at the gateway to the
court yard you are compelled to
acknowledge the ancient custom & slip
on a pair of carpet slippers. In the centre
of the large courtyard is situated a
sort of a well which is ^used as a place for the
March 1915
followers of the Mohamedan religeon to
wash their feet ^at before paying tribute to
Allah their God. Upon entering the
Mosque itself, one is struck by the
weird oriental vastness of the
surrounding you, the place gives one
an uncanny feeling, under foot the
magnificent carpet yields beneath
your head, & around you is silence dead
as the grave, to describe the interior as
beautiful is all that can be done, it is
nescessary to see it to realize ^in full, its beauty.
The interior of the walls are mostly
alabaster, & away above you, the dome,is fitted with beautifully arranged
coloured lights givesg the place a
remarkable appearance, then in the
centre hangs a magnificient cut glass
chandelier, said to have been presented
to Mohammed Aly by King Louis of France
One wonders what the appearance of the
interior must be when it is lighted up
it must be really xxxx xxxxx magnifiicient. In the
corner at the right hand side of themain enterance enclosed in a beautifully
worked partition is the tomb of Mohammed
Aly, only upon very rare occasions is
the partition ever opened. After leaving
the Citadel, we went through the
Mahmudich mosque it is a very ordinary
one & is not to be described as altogether
clean we climbed the minaret of it
& had a fine view of the city, though
an equally fine view of Cairo is to
be had from the Citadel ^which is over
looks the city, the feature of viewing
Cairo from The minaret of the Mamudich
mosque is that it stands below the

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