Thomas James Richards, Diaries, Transcript Vol. 1, 26 August 1914 to 24 April 1915 - Part 13

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the usual Winter tourists, who have not appeared this
season. We had a good dinner at Heliopolis and got
onto a slow and crowded tram to get back to camp.
The roofs of the tramcars were crowded with soldiers
singing and, regardless of the cold night air, happy.
The following week passed away without any happenings
of much note other than that training went on as usual
and absolutely no attempt was made to entertain the
fellows at sports or any such thing.
New Year's Eve was splendidly spent in the
moonlight among the graceful date palms on the Nile
oasis. Bill Drummond and Bob Miller were with me
and though we took a considerable amount of risk in
wandering about at night on the mud flats and
cultivations of the natives without leave or per-
mission of any kind. We all had thoughts of our own
and very far away so the quietness and silence was
greatly appreciated all round. We strolled about the
mule power bucket pumps and newly-ploughed land for
2 hours or more and then made back to the camp over
2 miles of heavy sand. The dry canteens were sold
out so I drifted off to the Y.M.C.A. shed and wrote
to an anxious little girl at Manly and to my parents
who must be very lonely in Africa. Father seems to be
only just hanging onto his life, and Charlie is gone!!
Poor Mother'. One of we three boys, or really either
Bert or myself, will have to go across to South
Africa very soon. Mother cannot possibly remain
there.

Anyhow on New Year's Eve my peace and
tranquility which I so much love and which I enjoyed
right up to 10.30, when I returned to the tent to
find the fellows beastly drunk and making an awfully
foul and hideous night of it and continuing until
12.40 a.m. Had it been/a congenial, light-hearted
 

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party I could easily have been induced to join in
and make merry, but under the circumstances the New
Year dawned upon me in my bed of misery. Bob Miller
lay beside me and shared my fate.
New Year's Day found me with a shovel cleaning
out a dirty, smelly, stuffed-up incinerator and
later shovelling sand to level off a large tent. The
The afternoon was a half-day off but as I had applied
for leave all day Sunday I was not allowed a pass.
A pass is very necessary nowadays to get safely into
Cairo, as there are military police guarding the only
two bridges across the Nile where passes are examined.
In town also one's pass is likely to be asked for.
But instead of remaining in camp I went with Fritz
Schwarz for a climb up the 3rd Pyramid. Fritz shows
but poor interest for these ancient relics other than
to gaze upon. On New Year's Day I paid Ramadan
Nassan 250 piastres to engage five camels for Sunday.
Saturday (Boxing Day) we all worked away as usual.
We ordered three more camels for the morrow.
At 6 a.m., before daylight, our party of 7
were having breakfast, and were ready to move away at
6.45 just as the sun made its appearance over the
misty Valley of the Nile and we were mounted on the
camels making past the Pyramids of Gizeh out onto the
Z Libyan Desert skirting the Delta country.
After a day of wonderous education and deep
study at the different Tombs of Sakkara and the
gigantic Statues of Ramses, we came back over the
14 miles to Mena House, starting in the fast-falling
evening and having dinner on the top of a decaying
pyramid as the red orb disappeared over the skyline.
A glorious meal was partaken of from tinned stuff, etc.
a few rolls and a quantity of Arabic bread, flat pan-
cake-looking things 9 in. across and as flexible as
the brim of a soft felt hat.
 

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We started away in the darkness - Pidcock,
Manning and myself - walking and discussing astronomy
in the starlight. Later the moon rose and camel-
racing was again continued. Mine was an easy winner
as he was fairly fresh having been well nursed today.
Arrived back at the Pyramid past the Sphinx at 9 p.m.
It was indeed a wonderful day - a day's education that
taught us more than two years' schooling could possibly
have done. An important feature of this historical
day - a day that goes down in one's memory to last
a whole lifetime - was the variety of lights and shades.
We left with the mist and sunrise, rode and walked in
the soft golden sunlight, followed the evening shades
from the narrow roads or camel pads, had tea on a
pyramid at sunset, walked and rode along the shadowy
desert both in darkness and pale moon rays and to the
charm of the bright and glorious moon's full strength,
with the silhouetted figure of the weird, silent-
footed camel moving at one's side. The whole distance
totalled, perhaps, 28 miles and though I have heard
much of people having to bandage their limbs and
joints to prevent the rough action of the beast from
injuring them, also stories of folk becoming seasick
etc., none of the party felt any unusualness and were
only ordinarily stiff and sore next day; no worse
than the efforts of a horse might have been over the
same journey. The day's expenses were as follows :-
8 camels    10/- each                         400
Guide 8/- with tips etc.                       85
Camel boys, 5 (gratuitous)                25
Entrance to Tombs                             35
Lime Juice                                             15 
                                                                560

80 piastres   -   16/- each was the whole cost. £5.12.0
The news of Charlie's death came as a great
and heavy shock, yet death is always on the list in
mining occupations and more particularly in Africa
 

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where I have found lives are cheaply held. Father is
surely close to his end, judging by his own letters even
Mining has cost him his life too. I recognised the
danger a long time ago and fought hard to influence the
family against the miserable slave-like work, and now
that the extreme penalty is paid I feel it very much.
And there is Ruth with two young children and some £700
to battle the world with. It seems so cruel and
merciless a world the more one comes actually in con-
tact with real and active life.
In reviewing the old year there is but little
outstanding to my settlement or credit. Certainly the
commercial experience I gained in Sydney and the
country for Hill Bros. may aid materially in the
securing of a billet of some kind one day./ As
Manager of the Manly Team I made some fine friends at
Inverell and Bundarra. Brisbane kind of failed me.
I could neither sell or court. The fascinating young
lady at Manly commanded a tremendous lot of my time
during the whole of the year. The time could have
been used otherwise to considerable educational
advantage; yet the matter of a woman's charm or
love at my time of life must not be considered wasted.
Brother Bert has learnt much of Australia by the
battling he has done; he is very clever and if given
an opportunity should make good. Mother has done
splendidly, but Father seems to be confined to bed for
five days or so a week and cannot last very much
longer. I hardly know what Bill did in Africa but
I regret that his business in Brisbane is not progressing
sufficiently to keep him and to give him a
chance to marry, as he evidently has found the girl.
 

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I cannot get over the feeling of humiliation
and grief at reading from the Johannesburg "Sunday
Times" of November 22nd as follows :-
"Mr. J. D. Marquard, Deputy Inspector of Mines,
held an enquiry into the death of a white miner
named C. D. Richards and a native who, as reported
in the Sunday Times of November 1st, were killed
by a fall of hanging                   in the Glencairn Mine
on October 31st. Mr. T. C. Bruce, the Manager
of the Mine, said that Richards was one of the best
miners he had and an exceedingly careful man.
The Inspector found that the tragedy was the
result of an accident and that there had been no
contravention of the Mines and Works Regulation."
I have read hundred of similar paragraphs in the years
that I was mining, and every one of them only helped
to tell me that my own name would appear there if I
did not get away from the damnable mining gamble.
Charlie got away from it too for some time and seemed
to be settling down to a business life, but the lure
of big cheques without any financial responsibility
was too great. I wonder if poor Charlie (who was a
good son and brother, though he has turned me down
many a time) looked at the danger of it all. I think
he must have done as he was level-headed and seemed to
look well ahead of him in most matters.
6th January, 1915.     I was on guard last night. This
is my third day's duty since being in Egypt. Others
have had many more turns. We go on at 10 a.m. and
remain in the guard tent until 10 the following
morning doing two four-hour stretches, walking aimlessly
about the lines. I was on from 6 a.m. to 8
and the coming of daylight was a magnificent spectacle.
The shadows of the 1st and 2nd Pyramids were right
across the valley.
 

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On Parade the commanding officer stated that
the Corps would have to be reduced to less than half
its present strength. Only the best men will be
retained, the others being split up amongst the other
departments. This is excellent as I want to get into
a fighting squad of some sort. This nursing stuff is
unworthy of a fighter.
All leave is to be stopped for three days to
keep as many uniformed men out of Cairo as possible
so that the police will have a chance of getting at
some of the 122 men who are missing from the Australian
and New Zealand ranks.
The moonlight with the foggy nights looked
fascinating and weird just before daylight this
morning. Venus also was as her most charming
brilliancy.
Bob Miller and I got some washing done by 11
o'clock when a dust storm came along and continued
throughout the whole day, making it very miserable and
blowing away many of the hospital tents.
A Section on leave but I don’t want to go out.
Harold Miller, Schwarz, Bob Miller, Ted Sparks, Geo.
Hill and myself took our knives and forks down to
the Army Service lines at 6.40 and had a fine dinner
on the tent floor with some generous Newcastle
fellows. After an enjoyable dinner liquor, whisky,
cigars and cigarettes went round, and as seems natural
in this country the conversation drifted to women,
the lewd foul devils that abound in this Egypt, or
Cairo, and did not reach a higher pitch until the
Australian mail was brought into the tent. Then the
anxious look on each face told of life's sweeter and
dearer side; home and sweethearts'! The evening
was a pleasant break for our party from the monotony
 

-  126 -
of camp routine and the efforts of our hosts were very
much appreciated, though the form of entertainment
did miscarry, as harmony would have brightened up the
whole company and filled a social void. A young
fellow had a guitar in the tent and hardly got a
hearing with it - a shame.
The wind abated at about 6 o'clock but
came up strongly and blew clouds of dust about so we
returned to our tents at 10 o'clock.
7th January, 1915.    The dust is very thick this
morning and it is intensely cold. I went on parade
wearing my big blue sweater (one Mother bought me in
Africa and which I took across America with me) which
I have been sleeping in. I have had many cold,
waking nights so now I sleep with a singlet, woollen
shirt and big sweater, also pyjamas pants.
Through the dust the sun could be seen
like a very pale ball, while the moonlooked sickly
down from the extreme west. It was a weird dirty
morn.
It is noon and a mail has been received
from Australia. Much excitement is manifest in the
distributing of same. I got a nice letter from W.T.B.
and a few pleasing lines from Joyce Schrader. I would
have liked a line from Brother Bill or Bert.
I wrote in the Y.M.C.A. shed until 9.30.
Letters to Miller. The dust blew like hell all day
long.

8th January, 1915. From an Australian paper  :-
"When we're happy we sing 'Tipperary' but we are
rather tired of the words so :-
 

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Up to dear old Sydney came a bushman t'other day
Looking for the Barracks, for he didn't know the way.
Colonel Antill sent him to the A.G.H. to fight,
Now he's dressed in khaki, and he's singing all the
day
It's a long way to Riverina,
It's a long way to go;
It's a long way to Riverina,
And the sweet bush girl I know.
Good-bye Wagga Wagga.
Farewell dear old Hay
It's a long, long way to Riverina
But I'll come back some day.

Then he wrote a letter to the girl he left behind
Saying, if I don't come back you mustn(t really mind:
For I'm going to smash the Kaiser and set poor
Belgium free,
And I hope you won't forget me
when at Berlin on the spree.

There are men from Hunter River and Macquarie side
Bushmen from the 'Bidgee who can shoot and fight
and ride.
They are coming now from every part of sunny N.S.W.
Ready for the conflict, and this chorus never fails.

This song was just given me by Percy Richardson of
Harden.
Today is the third windy and dusty day
we have had. The fellows are getting tired of it
as their parades go on just the same. Sore eyes will
follow all this dust. Egyptian weather has been
decidedly comfortable up to now but it will not take
much to turn the minds of the boys to proclaim Egypt
for the Egyptians and let them damned well have it
too!!
Jack Heady and I have been intensifying
some of my weak films from Sunday last. Altogether
my work with the camera has been very unsatisfactory.
The sand storm seemed to end up tonight in
showery rain storms. The sand soon soaks up the
water and there is very little chance of getting
swamped out as in Queen's park.
I wish our officers would give us more
first aid work to do. They walk us about and drill
 

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aimlessly for hours with a lot of rock-carrying thrown
in. It makes me very tired of the game and long more
and more for the Light Horse and a fighting chance.
9th January, 1915.  The rain has cleared the air
and the country around in most brilliant style. The
wind is yet fairly strong though and the nights very
cold.
I got special leave and went into Cairo,
arriving there at 6.45 after a dismal tram journey
and a lot of waiting around. Tea at the Soldier's
Rest in the Gardens - two plates of ham and three
eggs - was delicious indeed. This is the first meal
in the city for 12 days and it was worth waiting for
too. Bob Miller and I then went shopping, buying
photographic material and a lot of small things.
I wanted mostly to get a decently designed brooch
but could get nothing to please me at all and we
were having arguments in a dozen places. It was a
good interesting evening. The 9 p.m. tram arrived
back at the camp at 10.10.
10thJanuary, 1915. I spent the morning after Church
parade in writing to brothers Bill and Bert. I am
afraid I did not make a very good job of trying to
drive home to them the necessity for cutting Africa
out, though it be rather late now after two of us
have been engulfed, to do so.

I printed photographs all the afternoon
and when it came to fixing them the paper was a
miserable yellow colour and I could have cried at
wasting so much valuable time.
I wrote all the night and got away some
long letters to Zelda, Evans, Jim Miller, Bill,
Hollingsworth, Schrader.
 

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The fellows are beginning to kick up rather
badly at not getting enough to eat. There is no doubt
we are being treated damned badly but it will be
interesting to see what the complaint will bring
forth. The 6d. per day extra allowance has been
much discussed and the Q. Master accused of robbery,
etc.
11th January, 1915.    Parade three times a day is
getting me down, more so as we don't get an afternoon
off now and again. The only leave means leaving camp
about 5 p.m. which is no good to a man looking for
sights and general interest.
The photographs of Memphis are a hell of a
proposition. The fellows will have to get them printed
in Cairo. I will take up the orders and send the
films in.
I tried to write up the trip tonight but
it's hard work in this discontented atmosphere.
12th January, 1915. On the Quarter-Master fatigue
this morning and Bob Miller and I pinched out of
going on parade in the afternoon - a risky thing to
do but I'm full of the damned game and my scrap book
needed starting on. Another half-hour and all would
have been squared up.
 A. Section were working on stores, taking
them from the trams up to Mena House. They evidently
worked very hard and deserved the shirts full of jam,
fruit, soap, etc. that they brought home with them.
This poaching of goods is very common, and the men
cannot be blamed while they are living so poorly.
My blood and general feeling is excellent,
but I'm afraid it's all on the surface as a bit of a
run or some work takes all the strength out of me.