Diary of Trooper Ion Llewellyn Idriess-1915-1916-Part 6

[*this rotten kind of thing. *]

have re-occupied, Romaic
(which the tiny Tommy garrison

evacuated and retired on
the rail head when the
Turks smashed Quatia)
our own oasis Bir-ed-

Dueidar, and hill 70. So
we have the news of these

tiny outposts daily by
helio. The Turks have
retired on their base

some fifty miles from
Romani......I volunteered
with Stanley, Morrison
and Card, to go out with

packhorses into the
desert, for a week if
necessary, and try to
obtain information of

stationed at some
place in front of

outpost line to observe
from there. Sometimes
called observation Posts
Visiting Patrol. One or more
men detailed to visit
posts to see that sentries

are alert. Detached Post
is a small party placed
at some point which
requires watching and
which is not on the
ordinary outpost line
- such as a crossing
or a flank.
Picquets and Posts are
numbered from the right
Cossack Post sentry
should know: 1 What

[*this rotten kind of thing.*]
the Turks. We were to

trust to digging water

in the oasis in the

desert. But Captain
Bolingbroke declared the
adventure too hazardous
to succeed. - One of these
days they'll let us go, if

we worry them enough.

The sixth and 7^th
Light Patrols have

sent in word of finding
60 dead yeomanry
in Quatia. Two days
ago they found twenty
others. We are
wondering much

what the Turks did

with their prisoners.

 

his job is 2 The number

of his cossack post. 3

The number of his 

picquet. The situation of

his picquet. The way to

it. 4 Whether there are

any posts to his right or

left and their position.

Situation of any detached posts

& Whether any other troops or

patrols are out in front.

8 How to deal with persons

approaching his post. 9 The

names of places in the vicinity

Feb 9 or 10th Route march to

Helonan yesterday. Last

night there was a good smoke

concert at the Tewfik Palace

Hotel. The Old Brigadier

got up and sang & whistled.

 

If they took any....

We are all very well

satisfied with this

active service. We

are even getting a

little bread right

out here in the Wilder-

ness, If only we get

more fighting, this

life will do us. ...

The Scotch Fusiliers

here speak very

highly of their O.C so

we do not know

what to make of

things. 29th On patrol

duty this morning, out

past Beetle Hill.

Ideal country for

 

He was encased three times

The old Brigadier is very

much liked by his men

and always was. 11th Feb.

The tucker is becoming a

bit scarce again. Some

times there is not enough

bread to go around. There is

the devil of a rush always

to get to the table first. It

was pay-day last night

thank the good Heavens.

13 Feb 1916. The "Old Bird" is

back and all the old hands

are glad to see him. Major

Midgeley will always be liked.

There is plenty of tucker
 now. 14th Feb. The arabs stole

half a dozen rifles from

the Details camp last

 

 

snipers, but we were 

not troubled. ... Last

night the of some of our

officers were drunk, kicking

up a row in the

horse lines and keeping the

poor devils of worn out

troopers awake. This morn-

ing the outposts came in,

and the tale is that one of

the officers wandered out

among the outposts, and

the alarm whistle was

sounded to find him.

This kept the outposts 

standing to for the rest

of the night, thinking the

whole camp was standing

to in expectation of an

 

night. They are getting pretty

cheeky. They dig up our old

bullets from the rifle range,

to melt down into bullets

for us, I suppose. They'll be

shooting us with our own

rifles and bullets later on.

18th Feb. Devil of a row in

the small hours this morning.

"Crack!" "Crack!" Two rifle

shots. An A series of awful

yells. "Fall out the Inlying

Picquet". Men running

fixing bayonets in the direction

of  the frantic yells. A

galloping horse, the Flying

Picquet making for the

scene. Men tumbling

out of their blankets,

stumbling over other

 

attack. This morning

eleven packhorses went

into Kantard for tucker

for the officers. Now we

have just been issued

with ¾ of a loaf of bread

between every four men,

to do us 24 hours. There

are no biscuits in

camp, and no jam. I don't

see how we can work

all day and night and

do it. But the officers

can send in 11 packhorses

for grog and tucker for 

their little selves. We don't

give a damn if the

officers go raving 

mad drunk every day,

 

fellows feet, and falling

over the tent guy ropes.

"The Niggers!" Where are 

they? How many are there?

"How manys shot."

Everybody out by this time,

except the few tired

shrewd blokes who

snuggled into their own

blankets and shook their

mates great coat. When

it was all over the

enemys casualties were three

nigger prisoners (Arabs from a

close by village) who had

crawled into camp trying

to steal more rifles. And

this on a bright moonlight

night. 19th Feb. It is

 

 

and gorge themselves

until they bust, so long

as we are supplied with

sufficient tucker ourselves.

We are on active service

now and expect to go

short and very likely

have to starve for days

in this desert. But we

expect the officers to do

likewise. We do not

expect to starve, while

the officers while the

officers can afford to

pack horses out here

with special food stuffs

for themselves. The 

officers never do any

night duty. The soldier

 

everlastingly being read

out in orders now about

the disgraceful way in

which Australian soldiers

pass officers in the streets

without saluting them.

If a man were to salute

all the passing officers in

Cairo or Alexandria he

would have paralysis of

the arm inside of two hours.

Pages of orders from the

Commanding Generals are

read to us on discipline

and all that it seems to

amount to is that we must

salute officers in the streets.

bow-Wow. 21 Feb

We are going away

 

 

does night duty almost

every second night. The

officer on night duty

posts his men at 6 p.m.

then turns in and sleeps

until 3.45 a.m next

morning. It is vastly 

different with the ordinary

soldier. We have no

quarrel with our officers

They are mostly liked,

But ever since the

regiment was formed they

have given us nothing

but "Yank Acts". We

expect something different

now. Our confidence in

them has already been

badly X shaken by

 

On Wednesday evening. 24th

Feb Midday. We are going

to night right enough. All

are busy packing up. There

is no excitement, as when 

we left for the Dardanelles,

except for reinforcements

who have never heard

bullets. We all seem to be

taking things as a matter

of course. Going mounted

this time. 25th We rode into

Cairo last night, an enjoyable

ride, and there entrained

for here. Subsequent

events were not enjoyable

We are in the desert now

anyway. 26th We are fairly

in the desert now. There

 

arriving two hours too

late the other day. We

want to justify our

existence as a regiment

now. .... We have been

given rice for tea, and

have eaten all our bread

so we've nothing to grumble

at for tea. They must give

us more rations tomorrow,

or else the men won't be

                           7.15 am

able to carry on ^ 30th. Have

been on sapping since 3.45 am

this morning, and am damn

hungry. ... These accursed

lice are a damned nuisance

A man's average catch

is from 15 to 20 a day, and

then he can't keep them down.

 

appears to be nothing doing.

We can see some big

warships in the distance

sitting in the canal. There

are some miserable poor

little devils of scotch

artillerymen close by.

Yesterday morning early

they were given two pieces

of dry bread. They worked

all through the night and

got some porridge this 

morning. The Bright

British army. We are

within a days march of

the enemy, and may be

attacked, or have to

attack, at any hour.

Yet we had to be

 

 

7.30 am. We've just had 

breakfast. Bread, bacon fat,

1 tin bully beef, 1 tin jam and

tea in milk in the tea for

every four men. Far better

than we expected. The

officers ordered us some

when their's came last night.

So we can't growl. Full

bellies make contented men.

12.30 am. We've got a

double surprise this morning

The Quarter master got some

stuff out last night and

we can buy it. Our sections

share is 1 tin fruit 1 tin

tongue 1 tin biscuits. That

will do us, if they only keep

on getting more. ... Forty

 

paraded this morning

again, and another

lecture read to us

about saluting officers

If we do not salute

we are not going to 

France. The English

have got their army

splendidly trained, and

they are not going to

let us go over there

and spoil them. So we

must buck up and

salute every officer

we see. If the English

army in France is like

the majority of their army

out here, it is a mighty

poor army except

perhaps for saluting

 

reinforcements joined

the regiment today. 1st May

The Turks have stripped

a great number of the

              Yeomanry

dead Turks ^ who fell at

Quatia of their uniforms

This is thought that they

mean to impersonate British

troops... Report has it

that a 6th Light Horse

Patrol has found the

bodies of 300 Yeomanry

around Quatia. I hope

this report is incorrect,

but am afraid it is not

so. 2nd Was on outpost

last night. This outpost is

in a rotten position.

Big bushes grow right

 

Saturday. Asked Capt.

McLaughlin to let my section

go out into the desert patrol

ling. But there is nothing

doing yet. Monday The Brigade

is having ordinary drill. It is

easily seen the great preparations

for resisting an expected

attack. There is nothing here

but desert and dust. The

enemy are a days march away.

We are all deadly sick of

the rotten, rotten monotony.

The troops want to be in

the firing line again

badly. Why the hell don't

they go in and finish it?...

We are getting good tucker

here. otherwise the troops

would very soon sicken.