Dec 10
Viola0 arrived. Given leave to meet her. Archie1 had been dead against it and said it would mean inefficiency. We got to Heliopolis2 that night and I telephoned to my servant Stone to ask the orders. Told him to send my pony to hotel and off I went. Got there at 8.0 should have been ten to and also in helmet – Stone had not told me that the orders were now for caps! Not very good start of married soldering. Reminds me of Roscoe Harvey Col of 10th who was once asked by a newly formed subaltern if he could bring his wife. Roscoe said afterwards that in his time a subaltern formed with a bull terrier and venereal!
All this time we had gradually been progressing in cavalry training & really things were quite good, Rifle shooting etc.
Hotel very adequate & in evenings a cine camera was on the terrace with the film shown on a screen in the street. How unsuitable for the natives to watch I should have thought.
Dec 20
Another parade in Cairo. All sorts of troops as well as us.
Dec 25
Men had decorated their barrack room well, one end like a bar and all of them dressed up. My troop won the £5 prize for best room.
All the time our imported Col Harrison3 had been too awful for words. Everybody noticed his drinking and when he did have anything to order or make a speech it was hair raising. I think also some of our home letters got things moving. Anyhow he disappeared on leave. We never heard anymore of him. I can understand if they had felt firmly Sheppard4 has not enough knowledge but to bring in a chap like Harrison was odd. We should have had Gurney4 from the start.
Jan 7 [1915]
Managed to hire an ancient two seater. Coming back from Cairo hit a native fair & square. He got picked up on the bonnet, flung into air & fell with a smack. Found him twitching like a shot rabbit on his back with blood coming out of ears, nose, mouth. No idea what to do next. A passer by suggested that I should ring up the “Assistance Publique”. Doing my best to when the ‘dead’ man came to the telephone box & humbly asked for baksheesh5. Gave him a few piastres and off he went!
Jan 3 Feb 36
Rumours into real thing. Move. Nobody knew what best to pack or how or where we were going to or for how long.
Jan 4 Feb 46
Entrained. Not much trouble. Lot of squealing. Arrived MOASKI7 camp 11. Camped in open. Cold. Some fighting been on with Turks on the 2nd. Big stuff. Tents. Gen Tynedale-Briscoe now our Brig.
The men all crossed on this raft made of straw wrapped up in a tarpauline sheet. It carried about six men at a time & was pulled forwards and backwards by men on each bank
Jan 8 [Feb]8 8
2.20 a.m Rev. Parade 3.50. Dead silence. Warriors!? Watered at Ferry Post. Crossed canal on pontoons Ismalia. Indians did advance guard. Aeroplane went over us. A West Dragoon shot his horse! Long halt Aeroplane came back & dropped a message. “No Turks for miles” Marched on for 6 hours.
Only sign of the enemy we saw was fox tracks in the sand, Ammunition boxes made in Germany, dead camels. Returned & got to water 6.20 Arnold9’s pony which must have been carrying 15st at least took charge when it smelt water, with him on its back rushed through everybody to get at water trough. What the Turks had done was to come all the way with galvanized iron boats to cross the canal in. Our aeroplane could not make [out] what on earth they were. Endless line of camels coming with water which they put into the boats, then set off for more.
9th, 10th, 11th
All sorts of ambitious field days which I felt were unnecessary. Various people went to visit where Turks attacked. German officer found killed. Photo of naked woman in his pocket and some preventatives. Turk who managed to get over the canal was caught, was surprised that causeway was not just there, as they had been told. A spy was said to have found the canal bank unoccupied but we had moved field guns, etc in meanwhile & when Turks attacked we waited till they were all in their boats, then opened fire. The day I went I found some tin boxes with ointment in them for their feet I suppose and the hardest biscuits I have ever seen also dried dates.
Feb 23.
Left to go back. One day discussion started as to how the mens interest could be kept up when we got back to routine of barracks. Archie1 suggested Troop competitions. I said I doubted if that would cause much interest. He turned on me and said “Sometimes you say pretty bloody things, but that’s the worst remark you have made for a long time”
Muzzled the worst horses which was a help for down to station 7.45, and not leave till 4.50 a.m.
Stables at Abbassia, 1914 – 15
Feb 24
General relief to be back. Good clean up. New thing somebody has produced. Every man has to have a whip. At end of grooming order given “Get your whip”
10 mins (?) then “offside” for another period.
The men in my troop led by Griffiths sang as they did it “Whipping whipping whipping. Always bloody well whipping” to the tune of “Holy Holy Holy” Sounded well especially as they did it in harmony. Said to be indisciplined.
Got bitten when inspecting a horses foot. Hurt like blazes but did not tear my breeches although pants were torn. Reading (Ld Brownlows gardener[?]) had a savage horse which was tied up outside and had to be double wracked to groom at all. One day heard a commotion, went out to see Reading kicking his horse in the gut saying on each kick “You f__ker” Put him on a charge for cruelty and bad language Came up before Hugh who said “I have heard you were kicking your horse in the stomach, using language which is not used in the Yeomanry. Have you any excuse” “Yes sir, please Sir My horse had bitten me in the pencil”! Discharged!
Notes
0 Viola Mary (nee Clutterbuck) was Thurston’s wife.
1 Archibald Charles William Clayton (24th October 1867 – 1944), Captain. Served 1st/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry September 1914 – October 1915 (A Squadron Egypt; Dardanelles. Temporary Major while commanding squadron 28th August 1914); and November 1916 – April 1919 (D Squadron – Mesopotamia. Commanding squadron. Despatches twice.)
2 Heliopolis was an ancient city eventually covered with sand. A new development was created on top of the ancient site in 1905. It was originally outside Cairo but has since merged with the capital city.
3 Lt/Col Thomas Elliot Harrison D.S.O. (14th June 1862 – 3rd March 1939) Recalled from retired list, Leicestershire Yeomanry, to be Lieutenant-Colonel, Hertfordshire Yeomanry 9th September 1914. He commanded 1st/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry 1914 – January 1915 in Egypt. He was transferred to Territorial force Reserve (Regimental List) 19th January 1915.
4 Major Samuel Gurney Sheppard (23rd March 1865 – 21st August 1915) Killed in action 21st August 1915 in attack on Chocolate Hill, Gallipoli. He had been raised to temporary Lt/Col when he replaced Lt/Co Harrison. His brothers Gerald Arthur (21st November 1867 – ?) and Edward Byas (25th June 1866 – January 1921) also served.
5 Baksheesh is a payment of a tip or a bribe to facilitate a service
6 This is how the dates appear in the diary, i.e with the January date followed by the February date which is presumably the correct one
7 Presumably Thurstan means Moascar in Ismailia
8 This date is also presumably February
9 Arnold Sandwith Ward (8th November 1876 – 1st January 1950), Liuetenant. 1st/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry August 1914 – June 1915 (A Squadron – Egypt) and January – June 1916 (Egypt); commanding a convalescent camp, Cyprus June – August 1915.
HALS Reference: D/EYO/2/131
Add your comment about this page