Thomas James Richards, Diaries, Transcript Vol. 1, 26 August 1914 to 24 April 1915 - Part 19

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of the Nile Valley. According to the census of 1907

there were 635,012 Bedouins in Egypt of whom 537,631

were settled in towns and villages. Certain tribes

are noted for their fine and almost Caucasian cast of

features, their very dark, bronze-coloured complexion

and luxuriant growth of hair which they wear loose or

hanging down in numerous plaits. Their figures are

beautifully symmetrical and more or less slender in

accordance with their means of subsistence, and their

limbs are gracefully formed. In other respects they

resemble all the other children of the desert, as to

the purity of their complexion, the peculiar thinness

of their necks, and the premature wrinkling of the skin

of their faces. Compared with their bold and quarrelsome

neighbours - the Bisharin - the Ababdek are

generally gentle and inoffensive.

The Bedouins of the north have inherited

with comparative purity the fiery blood of the desert

tribes who achieved such marvellous exploits under the

banner of the prophet but the traveller will rarely

come in contact with him.

The Bedouins who assist travellers in

the ascent of the Pyramids belong to the Nagama tribe.

Genuine Bedouins are to be found nowhere but in their

desert homes where to a great extent they still retain

the spirit of independence, the courage, and the restlessness

of their ancestors. As in the time of

Herodotus, the tent of the Bedouins is still his home.

Where it is pitched is a matter of indifference to him,

if only the pegs which secure it be firmly driven into

the earth, if it shelters his wife and child from

the burning sunshine and the chilly night air, and if 

pasturage ground and a spring be within reach.

The Bedouins of Egypt are considerably

less strict in their observance of Islam than the

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of the Valley of the Nile, who are themselves

sufficiently lax and above all sadly neglect

the religious duty of cleanliness. They do not

observe the practice of praying five times a day

and they are as a rule but slightly acquainted with

the Koran. Relics of their old star-worship can be

traced amongst their customs.

Travellers will often see Bedouins in the

bazaars and are struck by the proud and manly bearing

of these children of the desert whose sharp, bearded

features and steady gaze betoken firmness and

resolution.

Amongst the Egyptians as with other people

the speculations about the world's origin, the movements

of the Heavenly bodies, and the alternation of

day and night were closely bound up in their religion.

Epet, a popular goddess of Childbirth and

Mother of Osiris.

According to Egypt Mythology human

passions and virtues were attributed to the gods;

and numerous tales were told by the faithful of the

divine exploits and adventures. Unfortunately most

of these myths have perished; of the few that come

down to us the best known is the story of Osiris,

which in antiquity also was one of the most widely

spread. Osiris ruled as king over Egypt and the

country enjoyed the blessings of prosperity. Isis

was the wife of Osiris and is seen with her son

Horus who grew to be a most powerful king. Osiris

was murdered and after many terrible contests Horus

years afterwards avenged the death of his father and

magically restored him to life.

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28th February, 1915. This is the fourth book of this

size that I have taken on (three are completed) since

joining the military business at Queen's Park. It

has been easy work for me to keep it going as I tire

of camp life and ^as this book has to be attended to each

day it kind of takes my mind off the miserable routine

of camp life, and lifts my mind from the groove, though

I have even now much difficulty in writing a decent

letter. Rushing up to the parade ground after the

bugle three times a day and then idling around with

20 men doing a job that three willing men could with

ease accomplish, worries terribly. It's such a

waste of time and of late years I have learnt to value

time.

We won the game against the Transport

section yesterday and beat the 3rd Battalion badly

to-day on the ground at Mena flat in a windstorm.

W.T.B. is troubling me frightfully. I

feel in my heart I must win her but then she does not

seem my type and marriage needs money to make it

successful.

1st March, 1915. I have got 96 splendid photo. prints

packed up. They came mostly from Captain Welch's

camera. I am sending a parcel with my three diaries,

scrapbook and postcards, etc. back to Elonara, Sydney,

to await me there, as now that we are moving off somewhere

they may go astray.

The 3rd Brigade left Cairo last night.

We will all follow. Much anxiety prevails in the

camp as we may be going to England, France, Turkey

or Syria, and will perhaps not know until we arrive

there.

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2nd March, 1915. Half of the Corps are on leave

today, and as things are bungled up there is very

little chance of my being missed from parade, so I

pinched off and between printing photos. and writing

I've had quite a good day.

Our camp is all excitement awaiting orders

to move off at any moment, but where to is problematic,

though to my way of reasoning and the logic of the

lecturer on Damascus in the Y.M.C.A. this night, there

is but little doubt but what Turkey will  be our

objective and I feel pleased with it as the type of

fighting will be more suited to the undisciplined and

impatient Australian than the trench-to-trench kind of

work now going on in France. Then there is so much 

more interest in these Oriental countries and particularly

around Syria and the Holy Land.

The lecturer to-night is a doctor with

30 years' residence in Turkey. He spoke very plainly

and forcibly of the corrupt and bad Government of the

Turks: "Their small-mindedness, avariciousness and

sensuality was certain to destroy them as a nation

sooner or later, and the time seems to have arrived

and you men will do it."

3rd March, 1915. On Monday last there was an issue

of gift clothing. Everybody got a pair of socks and

a flannel shirt, though lots were drawn for other gift

stuff. I drew one handkerchief and a good woollen

scarf. Bob Miller drew an abdomen belt and a pair of

mits. We were given abdomen belts (2) in Sydney and

laughed at them, as Australians won't wear such things.

So when Bob Miller drew another one he cursed somewhat

and we all enjoyed the joke. The flannel shirt

I drew was the limit. The kindly soul that made it

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never had either a husband or a brother or she would

have left a little more tail on it, buttoned up one

shoulder instead of two, and with buttons and button

holes, not pieces of looped tape to juggle with and 

hitch over the buttons. One of my tent took it as a

curio.

The sixpence a day is working splendidly.

We are quite happy party at meal time instead of

battling along on the last scrap of everything.

There must have been some considerable robbery going

on with this sixpence in the official hands. Two

ounces of butter are now issued per man (gift butter)

and it's just lovely after being without butter of

any kind since leaving the ship three months ago

and considering the butter we get with our meals in

the city which is so different to ours that we don't

like it and always refer to it as camel's butter, as

there is so much doubt as to its source of origin.

Today was my leave day and as I could not 

trust to take anybody on the trip I had worked out

for myself, I went alone and did not regret it as I

fear it was the kind of day that would try the patience

of the ordinary pleasure-seeker. I set off to catch

the train for Helouan from St. George Station at

Old Cairo, but finding that several of the trains 

did not stop here I was compelled to take the tram

car back to Cairo and take the 1.15 p.m. train from

Bab el Luk Station. The second class fare was 2

piastres - a distance of 17 miles. The journey took 

35 minutes and was very pleasant. At Helouan (this

town is commonly spelt three different ways) everything

was at a standstill. The huge hotels - some

ten or twelve in number - were closed down as absolutely

no tourists are in Egypt this year. Hotels for all

different European nations were noticed and thereby

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one gets an idea of the cosmopolitan nature of Helwan

in its season. Helwan is a health resort of much

popularity owing partly to its thermal springs and

partly to its climate. The sulphur and saline springs

which were made available for sanitary purposes in 1871

have a temperature of 91^o Fahr. Cases such as rheumatism, 

lumbago, gout and such like receive special

beneficial treatment. Between November and February

rain falls for a few hours only at Helwan. The

average of daily sunshine is 8 hours and the fall in

temperature after sunset is very slight - a marked

difference to the Valley of the Nile. There are two

swimming tanks - one for men, 120 ft. long and one

for women, 90 ft. long. I did not get inside the

Baths as they were closed. There is no doubt that the

whole of Egypt is suffering terribly from the severance

of its tourist traffic this year. Heliopolis and

Helwan show it very clearly, so also do the luxuriously

fitted river boats, chiefly paddle-driven, that lie

to the number of perhaps 80 along the Nile River.

On the return journey I took particular

notice of the huge cavities in the sides of the 

Mokattam Hills where the fine-grained freestone was

obtained with which to face the Pyramids, and also to

sculpture from during the Ptolemair period (300 B.C.).

The quarrymen of the Pharoahs penetrated into the

heart of the mountain and excavated when they came to

suitable stone. The roofs are supported by pillars

of rock. To-day the quarries are taken in with a

broad face, as all classes of stone are sorted out

and some find their level. These quarries at Masara

and Tura are noted also for remarkable and rich

fossils like the whole of the Mokattam Hills, also

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members of sea-shells, sea-urchins, and various other

shells, sharks, teeth, and bones, also beautiful

crystals. According to Geology, the Mediterranean

once flowed over Egypt before any Nile Valley came

into existence.

At Maadi I got out and had a look around

the Light Horse Camp. It was a treat and made me

weep to think I could not have obtained a berth with

them in Sydney.

I called on Bob Thompson of Charters Towers.

He is cooking at the Hospital and looks just the same

as he did 18 years ago. His love for pets prompted

him to take a billy-goat away from Brisbane, and it

is going splendidly.

Arriving in Cairo I proceeded to eat bacon

and eggs (3) at the Soldiers' Cafe at 3 piastres a

time, then went into the Mouski to collect some films.

The little Italian girl behind the cash register

has a pretty voice and her English is so entertaining

that I gave her a note requesting her name and address

so that I might send her a postcard. It's a treat to

hear a woman's voice after the men, men, men, around

the camp. Things are so bad that it even sounds

pleasant when in conversation a fellow is referred to 

as "miss", or should our neighbours come to the tent

to enquire for anybody they might ask in a weak voice

"Is Miss O'Sullivan in, please?" It might look stupid

in cold ink but it is a relief to hear it nevertheless.

There is always something striking about the sound of

the word "miss". I bought one dozen films and

arrived home by 10 p.m. Another day that will live

long.

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4th March, 1915. I pinched away from parade to-day

again and now sit away in the Victorian Y.M.C.A. room.

We paraded with an extra pair of pants for inspection

this morning and as there is nothing particular doing

after putting the pants back into the tents, I cleared

out instead of going back.

There was a concert in the Y.M.C.A. tonight.
Two artists from Cairo ran the show. It's

surprising what good lectures and concerts we get 

around the camp.

5th March, 1915. I didn't get a letter at all by this

week's post. I seem to look forward to letters now

more so than in the years gone by, Then I seemed to

live just for myself and what interest of an educational

nature I could get out of it. Now it seems there is

something else to live for and others to interest

myself in.

Dinner at 12 noon to-day. Fall in at

12.45 and march to Gizeh where we sat down for 2

hours waiting for orders as to where we would proceed.

Orders came that a sham fight was progressing five

miles back and near to the camp. We marched back the

five miles to camp along the good road and then over

the soft sand for two and a half miles. After a spell

in the oncoming darkness we gathered in a few patients

and got back to the base hospital. At 9 p.m. some of 

us got out two blankets and went back to the camp to

sleep, while the other men slept out anywhere they

could find a bit of shelter.

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6th March, 1915. Nothing much doing to-day. We

were up at 5 o'clock in full marching order and waited

about in the cold for one hour before the sun came up.

We then packed up the tents, etc. and came back to

camp. New boots were issued to each man - very good 

boots too.

Heady (the "bummer") was left to arrange

with the 2nd Battalion for a game of football this

afternoon. We turned out on Mena flat with a good side

and our opponents did not turn up, due we discovered 

later to some misunderstanding and they were preparing

to play on Sunday. Heady got severely sworn at by 

all the disappointed men Captain Poate came to

referee. He is a decent fellow though hardly popular

with the men.  Captain Kay is perhaps the best-liked

while Aspinall is the most instructive and best-worked

even though he does lecture the men as though they

were children to a great extent.

7th March, 1915. Church Parade as usual. There were

some/nurses present this morning and there is no doubt

they tend to cheer the poor solitary men a great deal. 

The form of a woman is somewhat of a novelty to us now.

The Chaplain lectured the men to keep fit and always

prepared to serve their country instead of drinking and

abusing themselves. There is a lot of drunkenness and

gambling going on about the camp just now. The fellows

want to get busy. This desert camp and training is

growing sickening, more so as the men will never be

any more fit than at present - in fact we seem to be

wasting time more than anything else. We are evidently

waiting for something or other.

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8th March, 1915. The wind and dust gave me a pretty

rough time, as I was on the outer edge of the tent.

The dust blew right up till five o'clock  and now at

7 p.m. there is no wind and it is quite close and

stifling. It is a peculiar country right enough

as regards weather or anything else for that matter.

I am on kitchen picket to-night from 2

to 6 a.m.

I received the address of Victorine

Warschafsky, C/o Robens Boss, Nubar Pasha Street,

Cairo. This is the Italian girl with a pretty English

accent who attends to the cash register at the

chemist and photo. shot in the Mouski. I may send

her a postcard now and again.

9th March, 1915. It is Wednesday as I write. A mail

has arrived from Australia and the two of mine have

made me forget all about yesterday, and deprived me

of anything to inscribe herein, anymore than one half

of the Corps were on leave and I lay in the tent all

of the afternoon and in the extreme heat only got a

little sleep. I needed some too as I went on kitchen

picket at 2 a.m. Paddy, the cook, got me this

position as it's so much better than a 24-hour guard.

10th March, 1915. I went in charge of a party of

six into the Central railway station to repair some

badly packed and broken cases that are waiting to be

delivered to the "Base" - wherever this is nobody

seems to know at all. Some of the packing was

extremely bad. I thought it impossible that such 

work could be done so badly. It could, however, only

happen in military circles. We worked jolly hard

until after 3 p.m. and turned up at the camp f or