Thomas James Richards, Diaries, Transcript Vol. 1, 26 August 1914 to 24 April 1915 - Part 20

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tea at 5 o'clock when the cooks kindly turned to
and fried some delightful steak. To-day is pay day
and as I write the fellows are talking fight and
swearing terribly. It's high time we shifted out of
our desert surroundings. The hawker boys are better
than parrots and repeat just what they hear our
soldiers say. Last night at the picture show a
young coon was shouting and selling "can-can peanuts'
and "fair dinkum peanuts" but the house gave way when
the big lump of a dancer in doing the splits and
such like poses turned her bottom to the crowd, who
rose like one man and pelted pieces of carrot and
other vegetables at her. But talking about niggers
I heard while going into Cairo to-day some terribly
bad language from the hawkers. "Egyptian Mail bum
fodder" etc. was being called out everywhere, even
in front of the Continental Hotel.
Amongst the broken cases to-day all we
could get out of it was a little bit of soap and
sticking-plaster.
11th March, 1915. Our party of six left camp at
8.30 and went to the station where we worked hard
until 2 p.m. Many of the fellows knocked their
fingers and cut their hands and we found nothing but
a case of lime juice for ourselves. At 2.30 I went
into the city, met Pidcock and waited at the Continental 

Hotel for a native friend of his who did
not turn up, but while waiting we met a Mr.
Whittleman, a very fine man, in charge of some
ancient excavation work, who was very hospitable and
wanted to take us over the Museum there and then.
We have his address and will probably meet him next
Tuesday. He gave me the impression that no natives
can be trusted to keep their word no matter how good
their English might be.
 

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We had dinner at the old Italian Cafe of mine.
The girl at Del Mar said that it was against
the custom of the country to meet or go out with young
men.
12th March, 1915. The mysterious party of six again
left camp and took the 8.30 tram for Cairo this
morning. The fellows are greatly concerned to know
just what we are doing, and as usual they consider that
we are loafing etc. Jealousy and suspicion underlies
everything connected with our ragtime army.
We left the station at 3.30 laden with soap,
sticking plaster and bottles of raw lime juice. The
job is finished now, which is much to be regretted
as these useless parades haunt me terribly. I tried
to write in the Y.M.C.A. room but the wind blew the
paper about so I turned the game up and went to bed.
The night was fairly cold - a great change after the
hot nights of the past few days. This climate is
the limit at changing.
13th March, 1915. Four of us went up to town this
morning on the free pass. The others wandered off to
look around the city. I went down to the Arabian
Museum where there is a large collection, but all
surrounding and connecting Mosques, both ancient and
modern, so between the inscribed slabs of stone,
wood carving, pieces of old china, china lamps and
old glass things I got rather poor entertainment.
I wish I knew something about glass and china, but
unfortunately I'm a blob.
A letter came to hand from the Italian girl
who states that her brother-in-law got the letter I
wrote her and would not let her see it even. A
woman's lot in this country is the very devil right
enough.
 

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I washed a singlet and a few socks this afternoon
and wrote to W.T.B. to-night. I have a persistent
itch all over my body. It's not very noticeable but
it's awfully annoying. Many of the other fellows
have it also.
The sores that broke out on my knee near the
gravel rash have appeared on my ankle. I am getting
very anxious about it.
14th March, 1915. It has been a lovely day to-day.
I went on Church Parade this morning. It was the usual
tame performance. The mess room writing occupied the
rest of the day and night except for an hour I spent
with Corporal Hare, a parson from Queensland here
with the Artillery. I was not at home with him at
all, though he seemed a jolly good fellow and told
me of his adventures with the underworld in Cairo.
It's now 9 o'clock but as I had a restless night I
must go right to bed as I'm very tired.
I got a letter from Victorine, the Italian
girl, to-day complaining that her brother-in-law
kept the letter I wrote her.
15th March, 1915. There seems to be a great number
of funerals in Cairo. Nearly every time I got into
town I see one or more. The ceremony is remarkable.
If the death occurs in the morning, the funeral takes
place the same day, but if in the evening it is postponed 

until the next day. The body is washed and
mourned over by the family and the professional
mourning women. Many passages are read, mostly by
the schoolmaster, from the Koran by his side. After
that it is wrapped in its white or green winding
sheet, placed on the bier, and carried forth in
 

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solemn procession. The foremost persons in the
cortege are usually very poor men and generally blind
who walk in twos and threes at a very slow pace
chanting :- "There is no God but God: Mohammed is
the ambassador of God: God be gracious to him and
preserve him!" Then follow the male relatives of the
deceased, one of whom carry a copy of the Koran.
The bier is borne hear foremost by 3 or 4 friends
who are relieved from time to time by others. After
the bier come the female relatives with dishevelled
hair, sobbing aloud, while the professional mourners
extol aloud the merits of the deceased. If he were a
husband or a father, they cry: "O thou camel of my
house," the camel of course being the emblem of the
breadwinner of the household. The body is taken to
the Mosque and prayers offered on its behalf; then
on to the cemetery where it is laid in the tomb in such
a position that the face is turned towards Mecca.
The women friends are distinguished by a strip of
linen (usually black) or muslin around the head.
Men wear no mourning cloths. The practice in the
country is to put dust frequently on their brow and
chest. The customs survive from antiquity, as may
be seen on comparing the representations of ancient
funerals at Thebes and elsewhere. The Moslems even
believe in the separation of the sexes after death.
In family vaults one side is set apart for men, the
other for women.
I paraded sick this morning with a blister
on my ankle and I printed off a few photos. although
the sun was very bad and the operation long and
tedious. At 3.30 slight rain commenced to fall.
It was not much but so unusual that we were surprised.
This makes about the fourth rain since we have been
here - some four 4 months - and probably the whole
 

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would not amount to more than half an inch.
Many of the fellows are expecting to be
moved on at any moment but I think we will remain
amidst these novelty-worn surroundings for some time
yet.

16th March, 1915. I am getting quite a dodger nowadays 

and make everything work that is likely to keep 

me away from these irksome parades. A bit of a sore
ankle was the excuse for an easy time to-day. I will 

have to show up a bit as we have the most detestable 

shirkers about and I must not for a moment be classed
with them.
No definite information is to hand yet
regarding the whereabouts of the 3rd Battalion.
It’s just wonderful how silently things
are worked these times. I had a look around our
Canteen to-night and the beer drinkers were peacefully
playing at the 14 or 15 crown & anchor boards. It's a
great deal better than other things they might be
doing and what's money to these men - by all means
let them gamble. Encourage them in fact if they will
otherwise keep respectable. Yet I fear the military
police will raid them again as they have done before.
The Colonel examined our heads for the
length of hair and everybody has to have the clippers
over them or be fined. They are afraid of lice
evidently but why we don't get shower baths to keep
clean with beats me.
Bert wrote a splendid letter to Bill. He
is a great lad and I do hope he will succeed in life.
He's got brains but lacks confidence to a great extent.
Jim Miller also sticks to me like glue and
asks me to command his if I want anything at all.
 

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17th March, 1915. To-day has been almost a winter day.
The sun for several days past has lost its burning
effects of some little time ago.
I was on the Quartermaster's party drawing
rations yesterday and to-day Lieut. Beers was in charge;
relying upon myself as I know the sounds better than
he. We were finished by 11 a.m. - record time too.
I have had a lot of favours lately and it makes me
wonder what I would do if one strike were offered to
me - not that I expect it but with my long-sightedness
I want to be prepared when it does come. There are so
many one stripers about the Corps (mostly worn by an
arrogant type of person) that I feel I would be both
out of place and miserable having to mix with them.
Therefore I fear my conscience would compel a refusal.
Having responsibility without pay and no chance of any
higher rise than Sergeant, does not appeal to me. I
made a rotten mistake in not going with a fighting
squad - the Light Horse for preference.
This afternoon I got away on the pretence
that I had a message to get for an officer. Instead I
went with Pidcock for a ride, exercising his and the
Colonel's horses. His was a big bay pony, mine a
chestnut, and it was lovely riding fine spirited
horses around the camp limits. My seat quite pleased
me after all the years I've been out of the saddle.
"Pido" jumped his horse over a hurdle after some
trouble. I was afraid to try for fear of scratching
the horse and spoiling any future chance of a ride.
But there was a big ugly-looking horse there which a
fellow was riding bareback and jumping well. I
asked the fellow to please let me have a ride over
the hurdle. He consented and without a bit in his
mouth or any saddle the old screw cleared it four
times and to my surprise I did not fall off. We
 

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then went onto the high hill of rolling sand and surveyed 

the camp from a new vantage point which took in
the three Pyramids.
To-night I will write to good olf brother
Bill.
St. Patrick's Day to-day. The band reminded
us of it this morning by playing some fine Irish airs.
18th March, 1915. The Egyptian tents had to be re-
turned to-day and bell tents used in their place
but as the officers are using more tents than their
allowance No. 1 Mess were obliged to go into a
hospital tent awaiting another tent.
I went into Cairo in the afternoon with
Latroube and good Ted Reynolds, walking around the
gardens near the Zoo and again over to Gezheria near
the racecourse and golf links. Springtime is just
lovely at present and the gardens splendid. It does
one such a lot of good to see some grass and green
trees after seven days in this damnable desert around
Mena and the Pyramids. We played with several
children in charge of their nurses. It also was fine
relaxation from this friendless bread and jam existence
In Cairo we had dinner or rather tea, at the Soldiers'
Club. Mine cost 2½ piastres and is representative of
the times, but I am going slow just now and curtailing
so as to buy something for Mother.
19th March, 1915. Left Sydney five months to-day.
We had a day in the trenches and it must be
terrible at the front if the getting out of wounded
is so bad and difficult when under fire.
It is remarkably easy to get an argument
anywhere in camp just now, particularly in our Corps.
I am coming to understand why most fellows join
 

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Army Medical work. They are too self-important and
"clever" to risk getting shot in any other department
and are here to hide their bravery behind a Red Cross.
20th March, 1915. Monkeying about with a stretcher
party this morning. There were about twelve of us
and such dodging and sparring (old soldiering) that
went on was marvellous, but what else can be expected,
hanging about here eating our heads off and being
scandalised by our own people'. No wonder the fellows
are growling and swearing or even getting drunk to keep
down their disappointment and inactivity.
I printed off some P.O.P. prints, toned
and fixed them - some 78 in all. I now have 135 photos.
in a packet ready to send away the moment we commence
to move.
I again chronicle the virtues of condensed 

milk. Last night I had pains in the belly and
expected a bad night but I got onto some condensed milk
and it seemed almost instantly to remove the trouble
and I slept splendidly.

21st March, 1915. English Church this morning and
it was damned rotten - too staid and formal. A fellow
seems to feel altogether out of place there.

The flies are terrible just now and there
is no peace at all during the daytime. Reading or
lying down is the devil.
Sleeping in a 24 x 20 ft. hospital tent
alone does me a lot of good as the rude jokes and
noise that go with a tent full of men is most objection-
able to me nowadays.
 

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22nd March, 1915. We went for a march to the Giza
Gardens to-day. Walking along the shaded avenue was
fine and "Chidley" with his concertina provided music
that lightened matters wonderfully. On arrival at
the Gardens the fellows scattered around on the
splendid grass lawn and had lunch on two roughly-cut
jam sandwiches washed down by the contents of the
water bottle. With boots off the usually grumpy men
commenced jumping and then had footraces of various
kinds. The Gardens were splendid - all the trees in
their summer clothes and the shrubs all ablaze with
bloom. It was all so bright and pretty, while the men
running about bare-footed added to the charm of the
scene. I took no part in anything at all. Coming out
of the Gardens were a flock of Ibis in pretty soaring
formation and altering their ranks as if they were
soldiers on parade. The hard road knocked the fellows
feet about a bit as we get mostly sand tramping which
is so different to this hard road. Returning to camp
at 4 o'clock we had done quite 14 miles of walking.

23rd March, 1915. To-day is mail day. I was sitting
in the Mess Room reading with interest "With Kitchener
to Khartoum" when the bugle blew "letters" and there
was a rush from/nowhere in my direction. There were
some 200 letters called out and claimed by the anxious
and eager crowd. The expressions of curiosity,
expectation, joy and disappointment were splendid to
take note of. My lot turned out to be one postcard
but it was good and worth much to me. It came from
Jim Miller and pleased me very much indeed. Jim and
his wife seem to be doing splendidly and taking more
than a passing interest in my doings etc.
 

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24th March, 1915. Kit inspection this morning. They
checked over the clothes, enquiring for any shortages
in clothes, socks, etc.
Pay day in the afternoon so I expect there
will be a large number of drunks about to-night. The
beer seems very strong and the silly devils just get
drunk for the sake of a change - a sort of recreation
for them.
The wind is puffy and may develop into a
blow at any moment and then you will hear tent mallets
hammering in pegs all over the place to keep the canvas
over the top of them.
(Later.) I went with Fritz Schwarz to the
picture show to-night. It's the first time for months
that we have been out together. The star picture was
described in French. I can usually follow these
pictures all right but this one was the very devil
and beat me very badly indeed. A young Italian female
singer was very fine, otherwise it was a poor show.
I drew 150 piastres to-day (£1.10.10).
This is an extra 10/- which I want badly as I have been
stone broke by the arrival of pay day lately.

25th March, 1915. Paddy, the Corporal cook, and I
wandered over to the Gizira Gardens as it was our
leave day. We played with some children like children
ourselves and had a fine day. The Aquarium was a
treat. It is built in the grotto style and is cool
and comfortable. The fish tanks are splendidly
displayed, the collection being from the Nile River
only. The place was arranged so that the visitors
were in gloomy-lighted passages with the light coming
down through the glass fronted tanks, thereby making
every corner and recess easy to see into and every
movement and action of the fish so easy to watch.
They are surprisingly active and graceful.