Wednesday 5th April 1916: corruption in the ranks

Am at Aust Base waiting to rejoin my Regt.  Am trying for permission to go to school for UCO and later officers School of Instruction.
(Later): When we arrived in Egypt we noticed more than ever that gifts which should have been distributed to us were confiscated by the officers and others who had charge of the Red Cross goods here.  Anything that was not much good we got.  One could go anywhere in Cairo and more especially to the Bazaars and buy things with the Red Cross stamp on it.
Things were getting so bad that everyone noticed it and at least the news of this scandalous conduct got back to Australia, whereupon a Commission left Australia under Eric Lloyd Jones of the firm of David Jones and Budden.  Upon investigation they soon got to the root of things as a result that Colonel Barrett, Colonel Ramsay-Smith and Matron Bell were hauled over the coals. 
The three were on the staff of the Aust General Hospital at Heliopolis and by scheming and planning they obtained huge quantities of goods from the Red Cross Base in Cairo and immediately sold the things in bulk to the Bazaars (Col Barrett by the way, was an ear, nose and eye specialist in Victoria before enlisting).  They must have made a fine haul as the selling of these goods had been going on for months. 
Barrett and Matron Bell were discharged from the service and I never leant what they did to Smith.  Since then things have been much better. 
J. A. Graham

“The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Wed 25 Aug 1915, Page 8, ‘TROUBLE IN EGYPT’.” http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1552653