FIRST STAY IN EGYPT.
Four trains, running at intervals of two hours, were used to convey the
troops from the ship's side to the neighbourhood of Cairo. For part of
the journey the railway ran parallel with and in sight of the Canal.
Near Ismailia it turned west and led across the northern part of the
Arabian Desert (once the Land of Goshen) to Zagazig, where it took
another turn, to the south-west, and entered the capital. Though almost
entirely desert, the country was not without interest to the new
arrivals. Sand was not unknown in Western Australia, but had never been
seen over such tremendous tracts and giving off such colours which,
probably due to atmospheric influences, had very distinctive beauty.
Here and there the oases, and the irrigation areas, were marked by palm
trees or by crops of a vivid green hue. There was also seen much that at
once directed attention to the fact that the land was one famed in
biblical history. The costumes of the natives; the flat-roofed
mud-coloured dwellings; the old fashioned wells, the hooded and veiled
women bearing pitchers on their heads, the humble donkey, and the more
dignified camel, instantly carried minds back to the pictures that were
popular in childhood's days.
By midnight the last of the troops, detrained at a military siding near
by, had reached the camp and taken shelter for the time being in a
number of open-sided wooden huts.
The camp site, called Abbasia--after the adjacent quarter of Cairo, was
in the desert just north of the Suez Road and about five miles from the
centre of the city. The ground here was quite flat, and had been
extensively used at different times for military reviews. It was also
near the scene of a battle in 1517, when the Turkish conqueror, the
Sultan Selim, overthrew the Egyptians. A second battle took place here
in 1800, on which occasion General Kleber with 10,000 French defeated
six times that number of Turks. On the west side were situated the
cavalry and infantry barracks, at that time occupied by the 2nd Mounted
Division (Yeomanry). To the north lay the quarters and hospital of the
Egyptian Army units doing guard and escort duty for the new Sultan.
North-east, a little over a mile away, the new city of Heliopolis, with
its splendid buildings, was in full view. In other directions only the
desert was to be seen, marked here and there with low hills--the highest
being Jebel Ahmar, an outpost of the Moqattam Range.
The first day in the new camp was one of discomfort and worry. No
brigade or divisional staffs were present to assist and advise as to the
new conditions. The source of supplies had to be ascertained, kitchens
constructed, baggage sorted, and the lines, which were indescribably
dirty, cleaned up. All ranks were tired with the previous day's long
hours and badly needed a hot meal which, at first, could not be
satisfactorily supplied. A few men strayed away to Heliopolis, where
they found members of the 5th and 6th Brigades, whose local knowledge
they availed themselves of in their search for creature comforts.
Fortunately other friends were near in the 13th Light Horse Regiment,
which was temporarily occupying part of Abbasia Camp. The members
assisted greatly in the settling down process and, in consequence, by
the night of the third day tents were pitched, cooking arranged for, and
the comfort of the individual much improved. Very shortly after, further
advantages were provided in the shape of a regimental institute where
fruit, groceries, and liquor could be procured. This scheme was
subsequently extended in the direction of establishing a restaurant, a
fruit and ice cream tent, a newsvendor's stall, and a barber's shop.
This institute was valuable for several reasons. It afforded a means of
supplementing the indifferent ration; prevented the infliction of
exorbitant prices; guaranteed fair quality; reduced straying; ensured
the profits coming back to the battalion; and did away with the
necessity for admitting to the lines the clamorous and often filthy
multitude of hawkers. After this no Egyptian or foreigner was permitted
to approach the tents without a pass. Most of the local vendors had
methods peculiarly their own. The agents for the "Egyptian Times" or
"Egyptian Gazette" described their sheets in language which suggested
guilelessness and earlier association with the 1st Australian Division.
The orange, chocolate, and "eggs-a-cook" (small hard-boiled eggs)
sellers seemed to possess the faculty of rising from the earth or
dropping from the blue, for whenever bodies of troops, exercising in the
desert, halted for rest, some half-dozen of these people--not previously
in view--would suddenly appear, and, dragging their wares from somewhere
between their not over clean garments and less clean skin, would offer
them to the soldiers at "two fer a arf" (piastre).
Of course news of the progress of our troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula
was eagerly sought. At first information was difficult to obtain. The
only sources from which it could be gathered were the wounded and sick
in the neighbouring No. 1 Australian General Hospital housed at the
Heliopolis Palace Hotel, and the adjoining Luna Park. These men related
their own experiences and impressions. Their auditors were able to
appreciate the stupendous task of the landing parties and the heroism
with which they had held on to the ground gained under devastating
enemy fire and the ravages of disease. Of the relative positions of the
opposing forces little of a definite nature was known, nor could
anything be ascertained as to the plans for the future. The fact that so
many troops were collecting in Egypt did, however, point to probable
further developments, and gave the Battalion great hopes of being
allowed to participate. The achievements of the Western Australian units
already at the front had been proved more than worthy of emulation, and
the 28th was determined not to be found lacking.
The situation in Egypt at this time was not without cause for anxiety.
Some months earlier the Khedive Abbas Hilmi, an intriguer against Great
Britain, had been replaced by Prince Kamil Hussein, who was proclaimed
Sultan under a British protectorate. Sir Arthur Henry McMahon was High
Commissioner, but the country was virtually under martial law
administered by the G.O.C. in Egypt--Lieut.-General Sir John Maxwell.
There was more than a little unrest amongst the civil population caused
by the efforts of the Turkish and German propagandists. On the eastern
frontier precautions had to be taken to meet a repetition of the raid of
February made by Djemal Pasha on the Suez Canal. Towards the west the
attitude of the Senussi, a great religious sheik, indicated pretentions
to temporal power which must inevitably bring about a conflict. To meet
this situation there were a few brigades of the Indian Army on the
Canal,[E] whilst for the remainder dependence seemed to be placed on the
units and reinforcements passing through to the Dardanelles. Maxwell
made the most of these, and greatly impressed the populace by displays
of force. These displays consisted of marching brigades of Yeomanry and
Australians through the city and thickly populated suburbs. The 28th
Battalion frequently took part--the marches mostly being carried out at
night and forming part of the training in march discipline. The natives
looked on sullenly, but there was little in the way of openly hostile
display.
The organisation of the forces in Egypt brought the Australians under
the supreme command of Sir John Maxwell, but they, and the New
Zealanders, were grouped under the immediate command of Major-General J.
Spens and known as the Australian and New Zealand Training Depot. For
self-contained organised units this arrangement was fairly satisfactory,
but with regard to reinforcement drafts their management was the subject
of much adverse criticism. Discipline was very weak and actual training
not, apparently, a primary consideration. These defects continued for
many months. They were not due to the men themselves, but to the absence
of a policy in regard to the command and administration of training
battalions generally. In later years the Australians managed these
things for themselves, and with such good results that the British
Service found it profitable to copy some of their methods.
[Illustration: ABBASIA CAMP.
"D" Company marching in. Jebel Ahmar in the background.
_Photo. by Sergt. Arundel._]
[Illustration: THE ADJUTANT AND "TIM."]
General Spens visited the Battalion's camp early in the morning
following its arrival. He questioned the Commanding Officer as to the
unit, and after being assured that the material was excellent, though
far from being perfectly trained, contented himself by saying "Ah well,
give 'em plenty of shootin'."
On the 5th July the Battalion was drawn up to receive Sir John Maxwell.
Sir John arrived with a considerable staff, including young Prince
Leopold of Battenberg. The General closely inspected the unit, both he
and his staff commenting most favourably on what they described as a
"magnificent regiment." Sir John afterwards made a short address,
referring to the work of the first four brigades and the hopes for the
future. Doubtless having in mind the recent disturbances in Cairo, he
also pointed out that Egypt was now a British Protectorate and that the
Egyptians were, equally with the Australians, British subjects. He
expressed a wish, therefore, that there would be no "knockin' 'em
about."
At the date of the 28th's arrival in Egypt, one or two battalions of the
5th Brigade, and the whole of the 6th Brigade, were already in Aerodrome
Camp, just without and on the north-east side of Heliopolis. The 4th
Light Horse Brigade, minus the 13th Regiment, was also camped near by.
The complement from the "Ascanius" was the nucleus of the 7th Brigade.
The 27th Battalion, after landing, went first to Aerodrome Camp, but
moved to Abbasia within a fortnight. The 25th Battalion, the second half
of the 26th Battalion, and the remainder of the 5th Brigade troops did
not arrive until about a month later. About the same time, Sergt.
Faulkner and his drivers reported to their unit (8th August). They had
been detained at Blackboy Hill a month after the departure of the
"Ascanius," finally embarking on the "Boonah" on the 12th July.
Observing instructions received, their horses had been left behind in
Western Australia and fresh teams had now to be drawn from the local
Remount Depot, in which there existed a surplus.
From the foregoing it will be seen that August had arrived before the
7th Brigade and its staff was actually mobilised and complete.[F] In
the meantime the 4th Light Horse Brigade had, for the most part, been
broken up in order to provide reinforcements for the three horseless
brigades then fighting on Gallipoli. The 13th Light Horse moved to its
own camp but retained its entity, and as such afterwards served through
the war.
After reaching Abbasia the all-important consideration was training.
This was pressed on vigorously. At the commencement the routine provided
for reveille at 4.30 a.m. and parades to be held from 6 to 9 a.m. and
4.30 to 7 p.m. Indoor (_i.e._, in huts) instruction was carried out
between 10.30 a.m. and 1 p.m. These hours were fixed in order to meet
climatic conditions, but they rendered satisfactory arrangements for
meals difficult. Three hours' work on an empty stomach in the early
morning did not induce enthusiasm or vigour in practising attack
formations and movements. Nor was the long interval between 1 o'clock
dinner and 7 o'clock tea conducive to contentment with other work of an
exhausting nature. A little was done to meet the situation by providing
an early morning cup of coffee and biscuit, but the poor quality of the
rations and the limited regimental funds prevented an entirely effective
solution. Nevertheless the discomforts were submitted to cheerfully and
the presence of the other battalions of the Brigade gradually gave rise
to a spirit of emulation, resulting in keenness and genuine progress.
The training was continued on from the stage reached at Blackboy Camp
and practical application was given to the principles inculcated in some
of the lectures of the voyage over. Bayonet fighting was assiduously
practised and knowledge obtained of recent changes born of the
experience of the war. Early in August a musketry course was fired by
the whole unit. Attention was then given to the more advanced forms of
exercise in attack and defence, combined with the construction and use
of earthworks. Here began that intimate knowledge of the shovel and pick
which, during the war, was acquired by every infantryman. All fighting
soldiers loathed these implements, but, at the same time, recognised
their utility and appreciated the protection they made it possible to
provide. Occasionally the Brigadier assembled the four battalions and,
after a little close-order work, would lead them on a five to ten mile
night march. Apart from the purpose already referred to, these night
marches had great value as steadying influences. Battalions vied with
each other in displaying good form. To see them marching to attention
with no sound audible but the tramp of thousands of feet, or, again, to
hear units, when "at ease," singing some stirring song with 800
full-throated voices as one, was indeed inspiring to the bystander.
Now and then night work took the form of occupying and entrenching a
position, or of moving over unknown desert guided only by compass. There
were times when the dust nearly choked one, or when the lights and
shadows made it impossible to ascertain whether one was likely to fall
down a slope or stumble on to the side of a hill. Notwithstanding these
difficulties, the 28th never once lost its way or failed to reach its
objective to time. On one occasion a move was made for some miles along
the Suez Road and a bivouac, protected by outposts, established in the
Wadi-esh-Shem. The remainder of the Brigade represented a hostile force
based on Cairo. During the night an attempt was made to penetrate the
28th outpost line. The attempt was unsuccessful. Early the following
morning, the West Australians advanced westwards in attack formation and
succeeded in driving one of the opposing units off a line of hills
commanding the road to Cairo. This was the most elaborate setpiece
during the training period and, whilst the execution was defective in
several respects, the general form shown placed the "Gropers" an easy
first in the Brigade in point of efficiency. Nor had the specialists
been neglected. In addition to the original Machine Gun Section, a first
reserve section was trained and a commencement made with the second.
These gunners acquired a highly technical knowledge and were
subsequently utilised for the examination and repair of the armament of
the other sections of the Brigade. The formation of trained reserves for
the Signallers was also undertaken and due attention paid to other
requirements.
All training was supervised by the Brigadier and his Staff, but the
latter had not that experience likely to be of assistance either to its
chief or to commanding officers. General Spens lent one or two officers
and non-commissioned officers who had served in the first campaign in
France and whose experience should have been of value to the new troops.
The N.C.Os., genuine "Contemptibles," were really useful and of a fine
stamp--able to impress the young Australian and communicate many useful
lessons. On the other hand, the officers were not, apparently, selected
with any regard to their capacity as instructors but merely for the sake
of giving them something to do. They lectured frequently in a didactic
manner--playing fast and loose with the training manuals, and advocating
experiments for which they could give no sound reason. When pressed on
these matters it seemed to them sufficient to say that they "thought
they were good ideas." This engendered much vexation amongst the
Australian officers, more especially as the Brigadier very often did not
see his way clear to withstand the innovations. The immediate result
was to humbug officers and men and negative many of the sound lessons
already taught.
[Illustration: BRIG.-GENERAL JAMES BURSTON, V.D.
Who commanded the 7th Brigade in 1915.
_Photo. lent by Mrs. Burston._]
[Illustration: LIEUT.-COLONEL C. R. DAVIES, O.B.E, SECOND-IN-COMMAND,
1915-16.]
A further drawback in training was the large number of men which had to
be supplied for duties outside the Brigade. At times these amounted to
over 200 on the one day and comprised town picquets, guards on
hospitals, etc. The absence of these men broke up platoons and also
disrupted the continuity of instruction. There was no way out, but it
was thought that the "dizzy limit" had been reached when a request was
received for church orderlies, billiard markers and barmen--all for a
British formation. The Brigadier ventured a protest, but for his pains
was treated to a severe official snub.
One factor, however, which was a distinct aid to acquiring a knowledge
of warfare, was a School of Instruction held at Zeitun and commanded by
a distinguished officer of the Guards. A considerable number of the
junior officers and N.C.Os. attended, together with a proportion of the
machine gunners and signallers. Each course lasted three weeks. At the
examination held at the termination of the course the 28th men did
exceedingly well--the officers averaging 89 per cent. of marks and the
N.C.Os. 92 per cent., in their respective classes. The Commandant of the
School subsequently despatched the following note to Colonel
Collett--"The results of the four classes attending this School from
your Battalion, viz., officers, N.C.Os., signallers and machine gunners,
are most satisfactory. I would especially draw your attention to the
roll of gunners; there is not a second class gunner among the whole
section, which is most gratifying to myself and the instructors." A
feature of this School was an officer of its staff who was not
favourably disposed towards Dominion troops. He was known to commence
one of his lectures somehow like this--"Discipline is a subject of which
the Australians know nothing." It is understood that subsequent events,
together with an interview with Sir John Maxwell, caused him, if not to
change his view, at least to modify his tone.
An important development, which had a beneficial effect on the unit, was
the constitution, early in August, of the 2nd Australian Division. The
three new brigades of infantry which had recently arrived in Egypt led
General Birdwood, with the approval of the Australian Government, to
group them in a major formation. The command he allotted to
Major-General J. G. Legge, C.M.G., who had succeeded the late Sir
William Bridges with the 1st Division. By the 4th August General Legge
had arrived at Heliopolis, where he established his headquarters, and on
that date the troops passed from the immediate control of General
Spens. The divisional commander brought with him a staff of experienced
officers, and these immediately set about the higher organisation of the
brigades and the formation of the divisional troops. The 13th Light
Horse became the divisional mounted force, but the signallers and
engineers had to be completed by the transfer of suitable men from the
infantry. Many good men were in this way lost to the Battalion.
Mention has already been made of the poor quality of the rations in
Egypt. The system provided for a daily issue, by the Army Service Corps,
of meat and bread; in addition there was an allowance of 8-1/2d. per man
for the purpose of purchasing groceries and extras. On paper the scheme
looked excellent but in practice was execrable. In the first place the
A.S.C. procured their supplies from the local Supply Depot. Although the
meat was passable, the bread--heavy, sodden, and often mildewy--was a
source of daily and indignant protest. Complaint after complaint was
lodged with the Supply people but improvement was almost despaired of,
especially after verbal intimation had been received through
semi-official channels that if the West Australians wanted better bread
they would have to pay for it. Eventually, however, a change took place
and the article became more palatable. The groceries were purchased from
the Army canteens, which at this time were farmed out to contractors.
Here the trouble was in the rising price of staple articles, the want of
variety, and the scarcity of supplies. Tea and coffee were ample, but
the sugar ration was hardly sufficient for these let alone any surplus
being available for puddings, etc. Of the side-lines, such as tinned
fish, rice, prunes, oatmeal, etc., what there was of these did not go
far to appease the appetites of men used to better fare and having now
to undergo hard training. The 8-1/2d. could not work miracles, and try as
they would--and did--those responsible for the welfare of the men found
themselves hard pressed in ensuring that their charges were even
decently fed. Nor was the procuring of suitable and adequate rations the
only trouble. Cooking them also presented many difficulties. Travelling
kitchens had not then been supplied to the new units, and the only
cooking vessels available were the camp kettles or dixies. Consequently
such food as had to be cooked could only be boiled or stewed, and even
then the results were not always satisfactory. The cooks themselves were
untrained and often had to be changed. They lacked the knowledge and
experience necessary to secure the best results and avoid waste. They
were also handicapped for want of proper fuel and plant. The fuel was
wood. What kind of wood it was, or where it came from, nobody knew. It
had the appearance and endurance of that stray log which sometimes
arrives in loads from Australian woodyards and which the self-respecting
householder absolutely declines to tackle except in the last extremity.
It played havoc with the temper of the cooks' fatigues and also with
their tools.
Clothing was an important factor. The heavy woollen material of the
Australian uniforms was unsuitable in a climate where rain was almost
unknown and where the daily temperature averaged over 90 deg. in the
shade during the whole time of the Battalion's stay. Furthermore, a
number of hats had been lost overboard during the voyage from Fremantle.
There were no present means of replacing these; meanwhile, men were in
daily danger of heat stroke. It was decided, therefore, to clothe all
the troops in khaki cotton shorts (trousers reaching only to the knees),
linen shirts, and pith helmets. These they wore with the ordinary
underclothing and with boots and puttees. This issue was completed
within ten days of arrival. It added considerably to the comfort of the
individual and the dress in itself was not unattractive. One individual
of French extraction refused for some unknown reason to wear the shorts.
He was proof against persuasion and eventually had to be removed from
the Battalion and given an opportunity for fuller reflection.
Perhaps it was inevitable that the drastic change from the Australian to
the Egyptian climate, soil, and conditions of life, should adversely
affect the health of the individual. At any rate such turned out to be
the case, and for the first ten days after arrival at Abbasia there were
some 130 to 150 men out of action each day. The principal causes were an
acute form of diarrhoea and tonsilitis. Amongst others were severe
colds, septic hands, knees, and feet, ophthalmia, and two or three
slight cases of heat stroke. Measles did not re-appear after the landing
at Suez, although the camp was placed in quarantine for 14 days and
visits to the neighbouring towns were forbidden. After the tenth day the
number of cases reporting to the medical officer began to decrease and
by the 20th July had dropped to 50, about which figure it remained
during the following few weeks. One death occurred--that of
Lance-Corporal J. K. Quick, of "B" Company, who succumbed to pneumonia
on the 14th August whilst a patient in No. 1 Australian General
Hospital.
To assist in the preservation of health everyone was encouraged to lie
down during the heat of the day, to keep the hair of the head cut short,
make frequent use of the shower baths, and consume no liquor, except
such as could be obtained within the camp. Undoubtedly the root cause of
many of the ailments was the pollution of the desert soil. One had only
to observe the habits of the natives to become aware that the earth of
Cairo and its environs was saturated with the filth of ages. This was
stirred up by the feet of the infantrymen in training and by the horses
going to exercise or water. Horses were numerous about this time. The
brigades of Light Horse on Gallipoli had left their mounts behind.
These, augmented in August by the 2nd Mounted Division, totalled nearly
10,000, and were cared for in a large Remount Depot established not far
from Abbasia Camp. The dust caused by them was at times almost
intolerable and the subject of frequent protests by those who soldiered
on foot.
[Illustration: MAJOR J. KENNY, A.A.M.C.
The Regimental Medical Officer.]
[Illustration: CAPTAIN J. J. S. SCOULER.
Signalling Officer, 1915-16.]
The method of dealing with the sick was as follows: A "sick parade" was
held daily at the medical officer's tent at 5.30 a.m. and again at 2.30
p.m. All men feeling unwell attended this parade, were examined, and
were prescribed for according to their condition. If their symptoms were
those of a complaint likely to lay them up, or render them unfit for
duty for several days, they would be "evacuated" to a neighbouring
hospital and detained there for treatment. Once a man was evacuated he
ceased, for all practical purposes, to be a member of the Battalion and
came under the control of the medical administration. If he was quickly
cured of his complaint he was sent back to his unit. If, on the other
hand, his recovery was retarded, he remained for some time in hospital,
or in a convalescent depot, and, perhaps, finally returned to Australia
either for a change or discharge.
Through sickness, transfers, and one or two other causes, the wastage in
the Battalion was considerable. This was partly replaced on the 17th
August by a first draft from the reinforcements camped at Zeitun. Lieut.
J. Quilty brought over 84 and 54, respectively, from the 1st and 2nd
Reinforcements. These were also first class men and were quickly
absorbed into the companies.
Factors which affect the conduct and character of a soldier on active
service are numerous and all weighty. Amongst them may be mentioned his
treatment as regards work, food, pay, recreation and amusement, and
mails from home. The first two of these have already been referred to
and, after reflection, it cannot reasonably be said that whilst in Egypt
he received too much of either. Pay very early became a vexed question.
Letters from relatives indicated that the distribution of allotment
money and separation allowance was being very imperfectly carried
out--resulting in much hardship and consequent anxiety. Although this
was eventually straightened out, it unsettled many men and bred a spirit
of discontent very difficult to allay and eradicate. The pay of the
troops themselves was drastically affected by the issue, in mid-August,
of an order limiting the drawing to two-fifths of the daily rate. The
exact reasons for this restriction were not given, but it is believed
that those responsible desired, firstly, to remove the distinction which
existed between the British and Australian rates and, secondly, to
encourage thrift and retain for the soldier on his discharge a sum,
beyond his deferred pay, which could be spent more wisely in Australia
and not go to fill the pockets of the Egyptians. To many this
restriction was a genuine hardship, whilst others circumvented it by
drawing on their private funds by means of the cable service. This was
extensively done, and those who had the wherewithal established a system
for regularly receiving remittances from the home land. Payments were
made in the local currency--the Egyptian pound of 100 piastres being
equal to L1 0s. 6-1/4d. The piastre (sometimes termed "disaster") was worth
about 2-1/2d. There was a smaller coin--a millieme--equal to one-tenth
of a piastre. English and Australian sovereigns were at first plentiful,
but an attempt was made to restrict their circulation, as it was
believed that the natives were hoarding them.
Mails arrived from Australia every week or ten days, and were heartily
welcomed. Those who received newspapers handed them round for others to
read. The Australian proved himself an inveterate letter writer and
found much to describe to his relatives and friends. The signallers were
rather noted for the amount of work they gave the officer who had to
sight their correspondence. They seemed to devote much time to writing
and to have a large circle of lady friends. As a rule, the soldier
observed the censor's injunctions, and, in doing so, made the work of
his officer light. Occasionally a transgression came under notice. In
such cases, the letter was either returned to the writer or the
offending part struck out. In one instance, the soldier had drawn
attention to the harrowing conditions under which he said he was
living--working from dawn to dark, with little or no food, and without
pay. Questioned as to his reason for this action, he confessed that he
was short of money and had intended to so play on the feelings of his
friends as to prompt them to send him financial aid.
Censoring letters was a valuable education for an officer. It gave him a
deep personal knowledge of the men he commanded and was to lead. It also
enabled him to realise that in most situations there were points of view
other than his own. He was the better for the knowledge. There were many
letters to read. Most had a grave earnest tone running through them.
Some were pathetic. Others were humorous and, again, others cleverly
descriptive of the passing life and scenes. The trend of thought of some
soldiers will be illustrated by the following:--In 1916, whilst
assisting to hold the trenches in front of Messines, a member of the
Battalion wrote a lengthy and comprehensive criticism of a recent book
dealing with the Darwinian theory. About the same time, and from the
same place, another member--a brave and sincere man, but a little
pharisaical--violated the censorship requirements by criticising the
army system generally and his own comrades in particular. His company
commander adopted the unusual but effective punishment of reading the
letter aloud in the presence of the writer and the fellow members of his
platoon. A story is told of a padre of the 5th Brigade who, whilst
censoring, discovered that one man had declared his undying devotion to
two different girls, and to each had repudiated any allegiance to the
other. The censor was so indignant over this act of treachery that he
transposed the envelopes of the two letters, before sealing them down.
Of amusements there was no lack. These will be referred to later on. On
the whole, therefore, the soldier had little to complain of in the
treatment he received, nor did he give the Commanding Officer any cause
for anxiety as regards his conduct. Breaches of minor regulations were
common enough, but in most cases the offences were venial and such as
were likely to be committed by any recruit. Only two cases were remanded
for trial by court-martial. Nor were the evils resulting from excessive
drinking conspicuously present. Precautions, however, had to be taken to
prevent any lowering of the standard which the Battalion was working
towards, and in this respect examples had to be made in a few cases
where the individual held rank, and in other cases where sickness
appeared to be simulated.
One little incident seems to be worth mentioning. A soldier, who had
been freely sampling a Reading brew of beer, encountered a certain
warrant officer. An exchange of compliments took place, during which the
private referred disparagingly to his superior's figure and parentage.
On the next day he appeared at "orderly room" and was awarded a brief
period of enforced retirement. Declining to walk to the place of
detention he was placed on a stretcher, but the stretcher bearers were
so inexperienced then that after a journey of about 200 yards he elected
to march. On his release, the offender, very contrite and desiring to
make the _amende honourable_, approached the warrant officer and
explained that the statement previously made in regard to his _figure_
was entirely without foundation.
Some rioting had occurred a few months previously in Cairo, and overseas
soldiers were said to have been concerned in it. A further outbreak was
reported during the last week of July, followed on the next evening by a
disturbance in Heliopolis. Whatever were the causes of the first two
outbreaks, the third was directly traceable to the fact that Cairo was
suddenly placed out of bounds when leave men were waiting for trams at
the Heliopolis terminus with a view to securing passage to the city. The
military police, in attempting to deal with the situation, behaved
rather tactlessly, and incurred the resentment of the men, who indulged
in some stone-throwing and roughly handled a few individuals. Charges of
wholesale looting were laid against the troops, but a court of inquiry,
of which the commanding officer was a member, found on close
investigation that L50 would cover the whole of the damage done. The
claims submitted by the native shopkeepers totalled up to some L3,000.
During the early months of the A.I.F's. stay in Egypt, the Military
Police, a newly constituted force, incurred the dislike of the bulk of
the troops. This dislike engendered an antipathy which endured until the
end of the war. In the first instance there appears to have been some
reason for it. The police were not selected with sufficient care, and
included a number of men whose actions, to say the least, were shady. On
several occasions decent and well-behaved members of the Battalion were
received from the police cells, bereft of their money, much bruised and
battered, and accompanied by a charge sheet accusing them of crimes
which one moment's consideration would show they could not have
committed. Strong representations on these matters had no immediate
effect, but ultimately the Provost Corps was purged of the bad element
and became a body of experienced men of great value in the prevention or
detection of crime and the regulation of military traffic.
So far as could be learned, the men of the 28th had no part in either of
the disturbances. In fact, so uniformly high had been their standard of
behaviour that it had come under the notice of Sir John Maxwell, who
sent and asked the Battalion to supply picquets for duty in the
disturbed area. This action rather raised the resentment of some units
and created a certain amount of ill-feeling. So acute did this become
that on one occasion the Battalion of its own volition was on the point
of "standing to" with entrenching tool handles to repel a threatened
raid. However, common sense prevailed and good feeling with the men of
the Eastern States was soon re-established, but not before the title
"J----'s Own" had been conferred upon the Western Australians.
With the complete mobilisation of the Brigade the number of chaplains in
the camp was brought up to four. Services were held in the huts every
Sunday morning, attendance at which was compulsory. Dean Brennan
identified himself with his flock. The Rev. J. H. Neild, so long as his
health endured, was assiduous in his desire to help all who sought his
aid. The Presbyterian chaplain, the Rev. W. J. Stevens, had served in
the ranks in the South African War. He was very earnest and direct in
his addresses. He inclined towards mysticism, and spoke much of the
"Angel of Mons." Otherwise he knew men well and was later noted for his
activities during the Brigade's stay on Gallipoli. The Anglican chaplain
was inclined to dogma. Very early he gave an address, "Why I believe in
the Church of England." As no one was interested in the subject he rated
his audience for its inattention, and thereafter ceased to exercise any
influence amongst its members. In France he recovered some ground and
did good work, amongst other things, in the organisation of institutes
and coffee stalls behind the lines.
FOOTNOTES:
[E] These troops were commanded by Major-General Sir Alexander Wilson,
K.C.B., who was Military Commandant in W.A., 1895-98.
[F] Composition of 7th Australian Infantry Brigade--
Headquarters. 25th Battalion. 26th Battalion. 27th Battalion. 28th
Battalion. 2nd Signal Company (No. 3 Section). Brigade Train (No. 17
Coy., A.A.S.C.). 7th Field Ambulance.
Strength:--149 officers, 4,403 other ranks, 529 horses, 8 machine guns,
52 bicycles, 7 carts, and 94 wagons.