Pages That Mention Port Said
Allsop Diary
Page 15
February 1916
3 Thursday
Letter from [Ted Geach] England Orders to prepare for departure to Tel-el-Kebir. Everything packed up and sent to Railway. H.M.S. Jupiter passed in Suez direction. Big ship with funnels side by side. N.N.M.R doing our transport. Carried patients across Canal to clearing hospital Preparations have advanced rapidly on the other side. Road, Heavy & Light Railway. 7 Battalion. 2nd & 3rd Brigades Trench mortars. Lion sunk 2 Battleships & 1 Cruiser news from passing ship
4 Friday
Slept in old building used as Barracks at time Canal was being built, trouble with bugs Pipe run across the Canal with Donkey engine on the other side to pump water across. Bugle calls again being used.
5 Saturday
Slept in old buildings again last night killed 5 bugs on me this morning. Digging Dugout. Letter from Bank. Not allowed to visit Port Said. We are now attached temporarily to the 1st Division For some time there has been doubt as to where we would go. We were with the 10th Indians for a time, then other Aust. Div. wanted us. Now it is thought that we are forming a new Division with the 4th, 8th & new Brigade of Re-Infs from Cairo so that we will be the first to go into action, most likely France.
6 Sunday
Turks abandoned Canal Attack. Caught a bat. Roy bought Camera. Malwa passed for Australia. Ladies
Page 16
February 1916
7 Monday
Tobacco & Matches issued yesterday Not yet moved. Field work in morning finding wounded in scrub & marshes. In afternoon lecture on Sanitation and swim in Suez Canal. New Zealand Mounted Rifles passed on way across Canal Estimated cost of works at this part of Canal & down 4 to 5 million £ Rained last night.
8 Tuesday
Beautiful day. Had photo taken by Roy near Serapeum filtering works for purifying sweet water Canal for troops. Carrying water by Camels & peeling vegetables. Hororata (Plymouth) sailed down towards Suez A20. Carried queer case of paralysis across to Clearing Hosp. over Canal. One arm useless. Good feed tomatoes & oranges very plentiful here. Minelayer H.M.S. Magnolia passed in Suez direction, dropped life boat whilst going a great pace. 2 guns visible & mines were dropped over the sides. The ship is like a destroyer. Steamer City of Cairo passed in Port Said direction. "Arabia" passed afterwards.
9 Wednesday
Showering. Collecting rushes to [?] with natives whom we made get & carry the rushes. Then they made mats from palm branches & rushes. Cordite in cigarette. Practice in carrying patients in afternoon. Playing cards practically every evening. Railway siding right to Canal bank going on to road completed & first train run along the line.
Page 17
Beautiful morning. Long route march to the Bitter Lake. In some places the other side isn't visible. Quite shallow except for the channel. Scenery rather pretty at Canal entrance. Salt thickness over the sand. Had a swim. Lect. on Geneva Conv. of 1864 & 1906. Britain first to sign. Field Amb the most imp. medical unit an army can possess. Capt Wooster referred to instances of Aust. Red Cros abuse at Dardanelles. Good tea Rice & 7 ozs tea bread & strawberry jam. "Borda" passed homewards.
11 Friday
Morning signalling. Afternoon Squad drill by [Bacseich] Corporals. Naval Bridging train arrived. Timber arriving in huge trainloads. Two trains awaiting unloading at siding Surprise at night Bill Lang called bringing Beech from Brighton Guthrie of B.G.S. in Aust C. Dozens of old friends over the Canal & all round us. Still catching live stock one chap caught 15 fleas in his pyjamas. Raid on gamblers
12 Saturday
Carrying patients on horseback. Squad drill (monotonous game). Lovely day. Heard yarn about the 50 lb shell at Gallipoli. "Afric" bound homewards 4th F. Art. Supply column arrived Reading letters & papers from home. These came in the "Arabia" mail
13 Sunday
Monitors Scarab, Aphis. bound in Suez direction. Kyarra & Medic loaded with troops going Port Said direction "Athos" big Indian P&O. & Osterley homewards