BACK TO EGYPT.
The Battalion disembarked at 10 a.m.
on the 10th January and at once boarded a train.
Little of Alexandria could be seen except the sea front
and the southern and eastern portions which the railway
skirted in its way out between the large shallow lakes,
Mariut and Abukir, into the Libyan Desert. The
route lay across the Rosetta and Damietta branches
of the Nile and through the railway junctions of Tanta,
Benha, and Zagazig, to Tel-el-Kebir, a station on
the Sweet Water Canal some 16 miles west of Zagazig.
Here there was a large military siding and signs of
an extensive camp.
Leaving the train the Battalion proceeded
to its camp site eastwards for some distance along
a new military road. There, standing conspicuously
on a little knoll, the first object to catch the eye
was a bulky figure which had last been seen at Blackboy
Hill and was now recognised, with ironical cheers,
as belonging to the Camp Provost Corporal the
terror of all newly-joined recruits.
Near the camp site was parked the
Regimental Transport which, under Lieut. T. D.
Graham, had for over four months been impatiently awaiting
orders to rejoin its parent unit. Men, horses,
and vehicles were in fine condition and showed the
benefit of the hard training that had been undertaken
in anticipation of an advance after the enemy had been
dislodged. In the care of the Transport were Australian
mails, which had been accumulating for four weeks.
These were very welcome.
Judging by the appearance of the lines
of the neighbouring units, tents were not plentiful.
Thanks, however, to a thoughtful Quartermaster and
an unsuspecting Ordnance Officer at Alexandria, the
Battalion had brought with it on the train a supply
sufficient to house all ranks and allow a few over
for the rest of the brigade. Beyond tents and
a limited water supply, drawn from a neighbouring
main, none of the ordinary conveniences, such as were
found at Abbasia, were available. All these had
to be provided by the Battalion’s own efforts.
The greatest difficulty was encountered
in connection with the kitchens, which could not be
satisfactorily constructed in mere sand and gravel
without other aids. To some extent relief was
obtained by secretly requisitioning some of the loose
railway material. When, however, some newly wrought
points, which were required for an additional siding,
disappeared, the railway engineers and divisional staff
descended in wrath upon the battalions and compelled
the broken-hearted Sergeant-Cooks to dismantle their
improvised establishments. Notwithstanding this
discouragement, the cooks stuck to their tasks with
that faithfulness which always characterised their
attitude to the remainder of their comrades.
They never let the men down.
At Tel-el-Kebir had been concentrated
the 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions. The N.Z.
and A. Division was at Moascar (near Ismailia).
The 8th Infantry Brigade, which had arrived in Egypt
from Australia about the middle of December, was covering
a wide front on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal.
The three brigades of Light Horse had recovered their
mounts and were stationed near Cairo.
The camp of the 1st and 2nd Divisions
ran for some two or three miles along the north bank
of the Wady Tumilat, through which in ancient days
had flowed the waters of the Nile to an outlet in the
chain of lakes, of which Timsah was the nearest.
The stream bed is some two miles wide and is dotted
about with small villages and extensive cultivated
tracts, whose edges are sharply defined by the sand
and gravel of the Arabian Desert. On the south
bank are traces of a canal excavated about 600 B.C.,
whilst on the north bank runs the Ismailia, or Sweet
Water, Canal. This is also a work commenced in
ancient times, re-opened some 60 years ago and continued
to Suez originally for the purpose of supplying those
engaged on Lesseps’ great work.
The camp backed on to the railway
line and faced towards the open desert, to the north.
The 28th was on the extreme right of the infantry,
but still further to the right lay the three brigades
of the artillery of the 2nd Division, which had recently
arrived from Australia. The neighbouring ground
was historical. On it had been camped Arabi Pasha’s
rebel army of 25,000 Egyptians and 5,000 Bedouins to
oppose Sir Garnet Wolseley’s flank march on
Cairo from Ismailia. About 1,000 yards to the
east of the 28th, was a line of earthworks ditch,
rampart, bastion, and redoubt which, commencing
at the Sweet Water Canal, extended about due north
for nearly five miles. Other and smaller works
lay to the west of this line. At dawn on the
13th September, 1882, the British, 17,000 strong with
61 guns, had attacked the Egyptian Army by storming
the fortifications. Within an hour the enemy
was routed with heavy loss, including 58 guns, and
at the small cost to the assailants of 57 killed and
412 other casualties. The following night Cairo
had been entered and the submission of Arabi Pasha
and his followers received.
The first necessity, after the arrival
of the Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir, was to complete
the refitting of the personnel where it left
off at Lemnos Island. Here began in earnest the
system of charging individuals for losses of Government
property. Up to date, these losses had been attributed
to active service conditions and considered almost
inevitable. But now a kit inspection revealed
a deficiency of over L1,000 worth of articles that
had been delivered to members of the Battalion less
than a month before. This condition of affairs
could only be set down to carelessness, and as a corrective,
those in authority ruled that the individual must
pay. Then followed little debit entries in the
Paybooks. These annoyed the owners, but had the
desired effect.
The refitting was spread over many
days, the greatest difficulty being experienced with
hats, which were scarce, the requisite numbers not
arriving until many weeks later.
The return to Egypt involved a reversion
to conditions regarding rationing which were far from
satisfactory. The 8-1/2d. per diem per man for
groceries and extras was quite inadequate. Prices
were higher and supplies more difficult to obtain.
The soldiers could not be fed properly and grave trouble
was threatening although all ranks were loyal and
recognised that the best possible was being done to
improve conditions. Eventually the Corps Commander,
paying heed to the strong representations made, issued
orders that the whole matter of supplies should be
taken over by the Australian Army Service Corps and
units provided direct with what was required.
An immediate and vast improvement was the result.
The climate was found now to be very
different from that of four months earlier. It
closely resembled September in Western Australia, with
occasional light showers of rain and nights cold enough
to make at least two blankets desirable.
During the afternoon of the 15th January
the 1st and 2nd Divisions were inspected by General
Sir Archibald Murray, the Commander-in-Chief in Egypt.
The Brigade was drawn up in a line of battalions in
mass and mustered some 3,000 of all ranks. The
General rode along the front of the Brigade and commented
in very favourable terms on the appearance and steadiness
of the Western Australians. In connection with
this parade the Divisional Commander (General Legge
had by now returned to duty) had been emphatic in
regard to the dress of the troops. As a consequence
company commanders were instructed to take especial
pains to see that their men were correctly “turned
out.” When the unit was assembled the C.O.
also inspected them and apparently found nothing to
complain of. However, when the distinguished
visitor arrived at the front of the 28th, there, standing
in the centre of the front rank, could be seen a soldier
wearing on his head nothing less than a yellow cap
comforter. After the parade was over the Divisional
Commander said what he had to say to the Colonel and,
in accordance with the custom of the service, the
Colonel passed the good words on.
At Tel-el-Kebir camp visits were exchanged
between the various W.A. units. Members of the
newly-arrived 32nd Battalion also called in on their
way to Cairo. Brig.-General, J. J. T. Hobbs, from
the 1st Division, found time to look in on his fellow-countrymen.
Leave to visit Cairo was now granted
to a percentage of all ranks. As the majority
of the pay accounts were substantially in credit this
privilege was made use of freely, and a very pleasant
and well-earned holiday of two or three days’
duration spent in the city. Some men could not
wait for their turn. They evaded the police for
the time being, only to return later on, perhaps under
escort, and face “Orderly room.” There
they usually pleaded guilty to the charge against them convinced
that in this instance the game had been worth the
candle.
For some months past many complaints
had been made at the front, and in Australia, in regard
to the parcel post. Parcels intended for soldiers
or their relatives had failed to reach their destinations.
Where the leakage was occurring it was impossible
to say. However, about the beginning of 1916
a change and reorganisation took place in the Army
Postal Service and a tremendous improvement resulted.
That this change was not viewed altogether without
apprehension may be gathered from the remark attributed
to some individual “Everybody but
the rightful owners has now been supplied with woollen
underclothing, socks, pipes, tobacco, and cigarettes
for the next twelve months, as well as with cigarette
holders and wristlet watches. Why should we again
have to go without whilst a new lot of people are
being equipped?”
Training was resumed immediately the
Battalion had settled down into its new camp.
The General Staff still, apparently, held the opinion
that the Turk, reinforced by the German, would advance
on Egypt. In consequence, exercises in defence
and in desert and night operations were constantly
practised. The Battalion also studied those portions
of the textbooks relating to savage warfare, to movements
in echelon of companies, to the formation of squares
to resist hordes of barbarian cavalry, and to suitable
dispositions to counter the effects of artillery fire.
During the dark hours movements on astral and compass
bearings were tried and met with uniform success.
Once a route march to an oasis some six miles to the
north-east was attempted, and the hard smooth gravel
in the desert in these parts made the “going”
comparatively easy. Usually the training was
carried out on the scene of the battle of 1882 and
the feet, or inquisitive entrenching implement, of
the soldier displaced many relics of that engagement
which was sometimes referred to in short talks given
when resting.
On the 22nd and 30th January, the
whole Battalion, under Major Davies, crossed the neighbouring
canal and the Wady Tumilat and, in conjunction with
the 27th Battalion, engaged in a tactical exercise
in which ball ammunition was used. The enemy
was represented by tiles suitably arranged in the
desert to the south.
Shortly after its arrival at Tel-el-Kebir
the Battalion was notified that volunteers were required
for a new unit the Imperial Camel Corps which
was to be formed for operations in the desert.
A number of names were given in, and a few days later
Lieuts. T. D. Graham, H. R. Denson, and J. F.
Quilty, with a goodly party of men, took train to
Abbasia to report to the I.C.C. Depot. Regimental
Quartermaster-Sergeant R. G. Sexty was promoted to
fill the vacancy caused by Lieut. Graham’s
transfer.
Inquiries in regard to reinforcements
revealed that several hundred men, intended for the
28th, were in Zeitun Camp, where they were being trained
on a system intended to fit them to take their place
in the ranks of the parent unit. Sir Archibald
Murray had promised that these should be sent to join
the Battalion. On the 19th January 281 men arrived.
This number included 53 sick and wounded returned to
duty.
The 27th January brought the news
that Colonel Paton, for his services during the Evacuation,
had been rewarded with the rank of Brigadier-General.
This promotion, apart from being popular, brought
additional prestige to the 7th Brigade.
Notwithstanding the improved conditions
of climate and surroundings, the 28th still suffered
a few casualties from sickness. During the first
month of the year three officers and 56 other ranks
were sent to hospital. Shower baths were badly
needed, and although the waters of the adjacent canal
looked attractive they were reported to be infested
with the bilharzia worm and bathing was forbidden.
The last day of January was spent
in brigade work in close formation. This was
not quite a success and, beyond traversing a considerable
area of ground and raising a great deal of dust and
sweat, secured little result. On the following
day an exercise in the brigade in defence, and the
occupation of a position by night, were more practical
and interesting.
About this time it was decided, owing
to the increasing number of Turks in the Sinai Peninsula,
to strengthen the defences of the Suez Canal.
The orders which followed directed that the 1st and
2nd Divisions should cross the waterway and establish
a new line of defence in the desert on the east side.
The 8th Brigade was to be relieved.
On the evening of the 3rd February,
the Battalion, now 17 officers and 891 other ranks
strong, climbed into a rake of trucks and was hauled
down to Ismailia a journey of some 30 odd
miles. Detraining at Moascar, on the west side
of the town, a march of some four miles, along a first-class
road, brought the 28th to the bank of the Suez Canal.
A crossing was effected by means of a pontoon bridge
constructed by the Engineers. As the east bank
was reached, Signaller Yeldon was heard to exclaim
in tones of great satisfaction, “Well, this is
another bally country I can say I’ve been in.”
The march continued for another mile to a camp (Staging
Camp) in which the remainder of the Brigade was already
assembled.
For the comparative ease and order
with which this move was carried out, the Battalion
was specially mentioned by the Divisional Commander.
Some two months later, on the return march, General
Legge held up the discipline of the 28th Battalion
to the rest of the units in the Division as an example
for them to follow. This is not to imply that
the marches were enjoyed by anybody. No march
with full equipment up ever is, and when dust and
heat are added to weight and distance, there is little
reason to rejoice.
The 7th Brigade was now a reserve
for the 5th and 6th Brigades. A reconnaissance
of the route to the front line was therefore made.
A military road under construction had already run
some miles out into the desert. On this were
working numerous gangs of Egyptian labourers and many
strings of camels. These animals in this part
of the country seemed to be as numerous as cattle
in Australia. Quarries had been opened at the few
places near by. A pipe to carry water to the advanced
positions was also being laid alongside the road at
the rate of over a mile a day.
The desert is almost pure sand, and
very trying for man and beast. Numerous hills,
some of which are over 300 feet high, make the going
difficult. The summits of these hills present
a razor-like edge, and the wind keeps the sand continuously
in motion in the form of a miniature cascade stretching
along the whole of the crest.
The line occupied by the troops was
some 12,000 yards out from the Canal. Trenches,
heavily revetted with sandbags and protected by barbed
wire, had been dug and were thinly manned, the main
portions of the garrisons being sheltered in tents
pitched in convenient hollows. Here the Australians
led a dolorous existence, without even the distraction
of shell fire or an adjacent enemy. Away out in
front detachments mounted on camels, and an occasional
aeroplane, looked for signs of a Turkish approach.
The 28th did not remain long at Staging
Camp. On the 6th February it moved back to the
Canal bank near the crossing point Ferry
Post and took over from the 30th Battalion
the duties connected with the inner defences at this
part.
The defences consisted of a bridgehead
system, the earthworks of which had been constructed
in the spoil taken out during the excavation and dredging
of the Canal. The southern flank rested on the
shore of Lake Timsah, whilst the northern flank terminated
on the Canal bank some two miles above Ferry Post.
At this extremity of the line “A” Company
was located and had, with the support of the Machine
Gun Section, to garrison two posts named Bench Mark
and Ridge Post. Here they led a life of comparative
ease. At night time the trenches were thinly manned,
and at all times a guard was maintained on a neighbouring
dredge. But for the rest, bathing and fishing
were the main diversions of Captain Macrae’s
men. A small pontoon, left by the Turks twelve
months earlier, was on charge to the post. There
was also considerable interest evinced in the passing
vessels feluccas and barges carrying stone
and stores to Ferry Post, transports, and steamers
bound for or returning from Australia. With these
last news was exchanged viva voce, and passengers
sometimes threw ashore tins of cigarettes, tobacco,
and chocolates.
Attached to the 28th was a section
of the Hongkong-Singapore Royal Garrison Artillery,
manned by Sikhs, and a detachment of the Bikanir Camel
Corps a force composed of the subjects of
India, which had been raised and was maintained in
the field by the Maharajah of that State. An
additional force was the Royal Australian Naval Bridging
Train, under Captain Bracegirdle, which had been present
at Suvla Bay and marched into Ferry Post a few days
after the 2nd Division arrived in the vicinity.
This unit was to assist in the management of the bridge
and ferry traffic.
The Battalion was accommodated partly
in tents and partly in wooden rush-roofed huts.
Its duties were many. Training was almost impossible.
A guard had to be furnished for a large Ordnance Depot
located on the west bank. Men had to be found
to work the ferry on which, when the pontoon bridge
was drawn back, troops and horses were hauled across
the Canal. Police to regulate the traffic over
the bridge and maintain a check on the passes, without
which no person was allowed to cross the waterway.
Then again, the natives who fished the lake were not
allowed to ply their trade except with a written permit
and the presence in the boat of a soldier. This
escort duty was not unpopular, for the reason that
nearly every man who performed it returned to camp
with several pounds’ weight of excellent fish.
But the foregoing were the light duties.
Others, more arduous, were attached to the handling
of the hundreds of tons of supplies which were daily
dumped on the wharf at Ferry Post and taken away to
the forward area by horse wagons. On Gallipoli
the soldier became also a navvy. At Ferry Post
he was changed into a wharf labourer. Few who
were there will forget the task of handling the iron
water mains which had to be cleared from the barges,
without the aid of cranes, and which ruined the clothing
by contact with the tar with which they were covered.
Then again, the adjacent dump absorbed many men, and
what clothing the pipes had failed to destroy was
dealt with in moving coils of barbed wire and other
material equally destructive. A light railway
had been commenced for the purpose of supplying the
front line with its needs. Here once more the
Western Australian found his services in demand and
he went along to do work which the native labourers
could not be trusted with. Through it all he
“groused,” but he applied himself earnestly
to the task in hand and seriously complained only
about his spoiled clothes. One Engineer officer
said he had never had men who had worked so hard and
effectively.
At the Headquarters of the Battalion
was established an Examining Post. Through this
passed numerous secret service agents employed by Army
Headquarters for the purpose of gaining information
within the enemy lines. Fierce-looking ruffians
some of them were, and they responded none too willingly
to the few questions put to them through the Syrian
interpreter a graduate of an American college
at Beyrout attached to the Post.
Traffic through the Canal was dependent
to some extent also upon Battalion Headquarters.
As has already been mentioned in an earlier chapter,
one ship had been mined. Other mines had been
located, and proof existed that enemy agents, under
cover of darkness, were endeavouring to block the
waterway. One method utilised to counter these
measures was to sweep a track along the sand of the
eastern bank. By means of a horse harnessed to
logs and other material this was done daily before
nightfall. At dawn patrols would examine the swept
area, and if tracks of man or beast crossed it at
any point these would be closely followed until their
origin and purport had been explained. Reports
were then sent to the Adjutant, and by 8 a.m. an “all
clear” message went forward to Army Headquarters,
which, in turn, informed the Canal officials that
traffic could proceed without risk. Should, by
any chance, this report be delayed the effect at Army
Headquarters was remarkable, and the life of the responsible
people at Ferry Post very unenviable for the next
few hours.
The Canal at Ferry Post was some 70
yards wide, and the depth believed to be something
over 30 feet. Just below the ferry the water ran
into Lake Timsah, which was irregular in form and
measured about three miles from side to side.
In this lake a few vessels were anchored, some of
them being men-of-war French and British as
auxiliary to the defence. On the bank opposite
Ferry Post is a rocky plateau, upon which was a convent,
or monastery, and some buildings used by the management
of the Canal. Here, during February, Sir Archibald
Murray established his headquarters.
The town of Ismailia is situated near
the north-western edge of the lake, and in 1916 contained
about 12,000 inhabitants, one-fourth of which were
foreigners, mostly French and Italians. The Australians
found the place quite attractive, taking especial
delight in the gardens, some of which contained the
familiar bougainvillaea in full bloom, and in the
shade afforded by the fine avenues of lebboks and magnolias.
The native bazaar attracted those who had money to
spend on local manufactures; whilst a very fine clubhouse
afforded means for rest and refreshment to those officers
whom leave or duty brought across the Canal.
At varying times during the 24 hours
vessels passed north and south along the waterway.
Freighters, transports bringing reinforcements from
Australia (including the 8th/28th), or troops to augment
the army in Mesopotamia, and well known mail steamers
such as the “Osterley,” all came into
view and in a few minutes travelled beyond. Often
news was exchanged with those on shore and sometimes
occurred the mutual recognition of friends. At
night time sleepers, awakened by the flash of a search
light in their faces, sat up and observed the approach
of the larger craft, with the assistance of powerful
arc lights affixed to their bows, cautiously navigating
the channels.
From the foregoing description of
the life and environment of those who dwelt at Ferry
Post, it may be gathered that, although their daily
lot was a hard one, it was sufficiently full of incident
to banish monotony. Without such incident existence
would have been intolerable. Nature herself seemed
to be almost somnolent in these parts, for, besides
a few chameleon-like lizards, a stray jackal or hawk,
and a plentiful supply of small black beetles which
stood on their heads when interfered with, all other
forms of life were absent. Even vegetation was
reduced to a few rushes and a very occasional stunted
bush.
At Tel-el-Kebir an increase in the
popularity of gambling had been noted. Greater
leisure and consequent opportunity probably accounted
for this. At night time, when training was not
in progress, numerous knots of men could be observed
between the rear of the camp and the railway line
gathered around two or three candles stuck in the ground.
There “House” and some of the unlawful
games were played with relatively high stakes.
The military and regimental police broke up some of
these “schools,” but this action had,
apparently, no deterrent effect. After the move
to Ferry Post the craze became even greater. A
favourite haunt of the gamblers was on the ramparts
of those parts of the defences which were not occupied
by posts. There after dark some hundreds of men
would assemble the illuminations spreading
for half a mile down towards Lake Timsah. The
authorities took action. Raids were made, plants
confiscated, and some of the offenders punished.
At other times the judiciously circulated rumour of
an intended raid also had a desirable effect and the
ramparts that night would be deserted. On the
whole the spread of the evil was arrested but, as
in civil communities, it was never possible to completely
eradicate it.
Despite the severer conditions, the
health of the Battalion was not materially affected
during the month of February. There was a slight
increase in the number sent to hospital the
total reading one officer and 73 other ranks.
Unfortunately two deaths from disease occurred, and
with the loss of Company Sergt.-Major R. Wolstenholm
and Private E. M. Edwards, Australia was deprived
of two very promising and popular soldiers. Cerebro-spinal
meningitis was reported to have broken out in Australia
and, despite the precautions taken, a few cases made
their appearance on the Canal. As a preventive
against the threatened epidemic, the Regimental Medical
Officer caused each company to parade daily and indulge
in a little gargling exercise with a mouthful of Condy’s
fluid.
The proximity of Army Headquarters
and Corps Headquarters (at Ismailia) led to fairly
frequent visits from Generals Murray, Birdwood, and
Godley, and their staffs. Other visitors were
Sir Arthur Henry McMahon, the High Commissioner for
Egypt, accompanied by Lady McMahon and members of
the family. On one occasion the Commander-in-Chief
was escorted by a number of frock-coated gentlemen,
wearing tarbooshes, who constituted some of the “notables”
of Egypt and had been invited to witness a display
by the Air Service of the Army.