RECRUITING IN EGYPT
We were detained one night in Port Said, and the following morning made
our way by rail to Alexandria. It was an interesting journey because it
took us along the Suez Canal as far as Ismalia, where we saw all the
defences and the troops guarding it, and also the precautions taken by
the householders along the bank, who had turned their homes into little
sand-bagged forts. It was on this journey that I saw, for the first
time, the celebrated battlefield of Tel-el-Kebir where General Wolseley
crushed Arabi Pasha and his army, and there the graves of British and
Egyptian soldiers who fell in the battle may be seen from the railway
carriages. This journey to Alexandria is rather a roundabout one, for it
is necessary to go almost to Cairo before reaching the Cairo to
Alexandria line. However, we eventually reached Alexandria in the
afternoon, and Claude Rolo took me to the house of his mother, Mrs. J.
Rolo, one of the kindest and best ladies it has ever been my good
fortune to meet. Here, in this most comfortable and luxurious house, I
was made to feel thoroughly at home. While there, I, unfortunately, had
a rather severe attack of fever, but thanks to Mrs. Rolo and her nieces,
especially "the angel Gabrielle," I was soon restored to health.
My first duty was to see General Sir John Maxwell at Cairo and get his
consent and help in raising new recruits for the Zion Mule Corps.
When I arrived in Cairo, however, in the afternoon, I found that I could
not see the General until the next morning, so I determined to go and
see a friend in hospital, but in which hospital? That was my difficulty.
As I was standing in the verandah of Shepheard's Hotel, wondering to
whom I could apply for information, up the steps from the street tripped
a charming young lady in nurse's costume. "The very thing for me," I
said to myself, and without more ado I walked up to her and explained my
difficulty and asked her if she could help. She was kindness itself, and
took a great deal of trouble to put me in touch with my friend, and
through taking her advice I succeeded in my quest.
I saw Miss ---- again on several occasions in the hotel, but not being
of a forward nature, I kept out of her way. General Williams told me
that she was an Australian lady devoting herself to nursing the sick and
wounded. I have heard since that she has added beauty to the British
Peerage.
While I was in Cairo, I visited the Turkish wounded in the Red Crescent
Hospital there, where they were well looked after and seemed most
comfortable. I met a very interesting young Turkish officer, the son of
Djemel Pasha, with whom I had a long conversation. He had been captured
by the Indian Lancers when he was reconnoitring for the attack on the
Suez Canal. He told me that he was the only survivor of a party of
twelve, and that he himself had received fourteen lance wounds. He was
an extremely good type of Turkish officer, and during the short time we
were together we became great friends, and on leaving him he took my
hand in both his and shook it warmly, saying he hoped we would always be
good friends no matter what the politicians might do for our respective
countries.
When I saw General Maxwell he did everything necessary to ensure my
success in this new endeavour to raise recruits; he summoned the
leading Israelitish notables of Cairo to meet me in his office, where he
put my needs before them, and requested them to do what was possible in
the way of getting suitable men from their community. Two members of
this committee took an interest in raising recruits for the corps, Moise
Cattaui Pasha and Mr. Jack Mosseri, the latter a well-known Zionist and
a great Hebrew scholar, thoroughly imbued with all the best ideals of
the Hebrew race. He was a tower of strength to me, and organised
meetings in various synagogues throughout Cairo. One such meeting which
took place in the beautiful temple in the Mousky I shall never forget.
We walked through this celebrated and picturesque part of Cairo to the
meeting--and what a walk! the colours, the lights, the sights, and the
sounds, were all redolent of the very heart of the East; even Rahab
might be seen there looking out of a window; but of all the charms of
the Mousky, and it has many, commend me to its smells! There you will
find the full fragrance of the East in all its pristine power and glory!
Threading our way carefully through the narrow alley-ways, dexterously
avoiding babies, donkeys, mules and camels, we at last reached the
Temple. We found it packed with people, and on the platform stood the
Grand Rabbi of Cairo, a most imposing and eastern-looking personage, and
other notables of the city.
Cattaui Pasha and others, whom Mr. Mosseri had interested in the
movement, made stirring addresses to the Jewish youths among the
congregation. The result of Mr. Mosseri's efforts was that, in the
course of a few weeks, some one hundred and fifty Jewish recruits had
been obtained from Cairo alone, and these I designated the "Cairo Troop"
of the Zion Mule Corps.
I am sure that Mr. Jack Mosseri will be glad to know that the great
majority of these men whom he took so much trouble to imbue with the old
Hebrew fighting spirit of the heroes of the past, proved courageous and
useful soldiers, when, after a brief training, they found themselves
before the enemy in Gallipoli.
While I was at Alexandria I was unlucky enough to get my hand crushed
under a motor, and as it required a great deal of attention, I used to
go to the Greek Hospital every day because it was close to the office
where I worked. This hospital was full of our sick and wounded, where
they were carefully attended and nursed by an efficient staff of Greek
doctors and Greek nurses. I used to go round the wards talking to the
men, and they were all perfectly happy and contented, expressing
gratitude for the care lavished on them by the Greek ladies of
Alexandria. Dr. Petredes attended to my wounded hand, and nobody could
have been more kind. One of the Greek sisters told me rather a pathetic
story about an Australian. He was a young fellow badly wounded in the
leg; the wound got worse and worse, and it was seen that he must die. He
was told by the clergyman who came to visit him that his case was
hopeless, but he was not in the least bit upset about himself, he only
grieved at the sorrow it would give his mother. Knowing that a
photograph would be a comfort to her, he asked if a photographer could
be brought. When the latter had arrived, the brave lad insisted on being
propped up in bed, and then requested the photographer not to snap him
until he could get a nice smile on his face, "For," he said, "I would
like my mother to know that I am dying quite happy." In a few hours the
boy had passed away, but there remained a photograph with a bright,
cheery smile as some small consolation for the bereaved mother.