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Arrived Alexandria and was delighted with the place. Had a good cruise round and saw a lot in a short time. We entrained for Cairo on February 1st.
J. A. Graham
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Arrived in Port Said without mishap. Not allowed to land but we were quite close to the wharves and the main part of city. Was much taken up with the place.
J. A. Graham Arrived in Suez. Not allowed to land. Seemed a fine city. Fleet again attacked by native hawkers. Bought a Turban for 5 Rupers. All precautions taken against attack by Turks along Canal. Bridge sandbagged and decks cleared for action. Two 4-6 guns and two machine guns mounted.
Entered canal. Amid tense excitement and in hopes of having a scrap, but were disappointed. Canal a wonderful sight. Nothing but desert on either side, except for an occasional oasis with cultivation in the distance. Strongly garrisoned by British troops of all colours and from all parts of the world. J. A. Graham Left Aden at 9.30am and joined fleet outside. Entered Red Sea following day.
J. A. Graham Arrived at Gates of Hell (Aden) and much impressed with the place. Harbour is surrounded by huge Rocky Mountains and strongly fortified. Strong garrison. The place is well named. The heat of summer must be almost unbearable there. We were not allowed to land. Much to our disappointment. Our first glimpse of Oriental life. Troopships besieged all day by natives in burnboats selling almost everything. Alexandria our destination.
J. A. Graham Passed Colombs 14 ships of the fleet put in for supplies. Ceramic and Suevic accompanied us. Passed Maldive Islands.
J. A. Graham We sailed on the Persie a white star liner of 11000 tons. She was not overcrowded, there being only one Regiment (of 500 rifles strong) and of course 500 horses commanded by Colonel Harris. The weather all the way was glorious and the sea beautifully calm. The food which consisted chiefly of bread, butter, jam, porridge, beef, mutton, rabbits, cheese, bacon and all vegetables was kept up to us all the way and we had plenty to drink. (water, tea, coffee, lime juice, etc.) The first piece of dirty underhand work by the officers on board was noticed after we left Albany. One of the North Coast Butter Factories sent several boxes of butter, marked specially For the Troops ONLY and the people of Tasmania sent several huge cases of beautiful big apples also marked for the Troops. We did not get an ounce of butter and not one of the troops saw an apple, excepting on Christmas Day when each man got a miserable old withered one. The officers on the other hand were eating them night and day and their cabins were always plentifully supplied with them. Each table in the Dining Saloon was loaded with them and rather than let us have them before they went bad they used then for cooking purposes and in the end two or three cases had to be thrown overboard. In the canteen on board, several things were bought and on being opened up one found slips of paper with the senders name on it for distribution through the Red Cross and Patristic Funds to the troops. J. A. Graham (This is a diary entry insert from 5 April, 1916). Somewhere in Indian Ocean again innoculated for Typhoid.
J. A. Graham |
AuthorJack Graham, ANZAC soldier, kept a diary from 1914-1918. Here it is, blogged 100 years later to the day.... Archives
February 1958
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