大象传媒

This story is submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a member of Market Harborough Branch, Royal British Legion on behalf of Reg Tarry and has been added to the site with his permission. Mr Tarry fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

Reg Tarry, now a lively 94 year-old, kept a detailed account of his life overseas in the RAF Police from September 1941 until December 1944, This episode is from the time he was stationed at a Middle East HQ unit near Cairo.

VISIT TO MEMPHIS
Friday March 13th 1942

Superstition suffered a defeat today for, far from being unlucky, it was a very enjoyable day.
At O93Ohours seven of us had a taxi to take us down to the River Nile which, after another long wait during which several snaps were taken by some of the boys we crossed in the old ferry boat.

Landing at Burr-de Shinn, we or rather Jack Hewitt who was acting as our leader, found our guide who found us donkeys, who found us very inexperienced riders not doubt. At any rate having found ourselves altogether, we set off towards Memphis.

By the time we arrived, we were more or less used to the donkeys, whether they were used to us is very much open to question!

It was just a brief halt we made here because most of the party had been this far before. I did manage to get 5 or 6 scarabs towards a bracelet for Barbara for a very few piastres then we mounted again and began our ride to Sakbara.

Our first close-up view showed quite a hill up which we had to go and some of the kinder hearts among us got off their donkeys and walked up but I am afraid it was a selfish and quite unwarranted notion of distrust in their mounts and an idea of self-preservation which prompted them to walk. However, 鈥楽potted Dick鈥� carried me up quite safely if not comfortably.

At the top of this hill was visible evidence of the land of mystery for a party of labourers was at work on the latest excavations sponsored by the Egyptian Gov鈥檛 and new finds are being made very day. Two mummies have just been brought to light that much we could discover but nothing further. Presumably no mention, officially, is being made of this latest discovery until full knowledge regarding the tomb etc is available.

Our first visit was to the tomb of Mera of the VI dynasty. Jacob Abelevity acted as our interpreter therefore we were fortunate in not having to puzzle out the guides鈥� very meagre English and as a result, not only were we able to learn more but many amusing things pertaining to the tomb, its former occupant and the hieroglyphics themselves were passed on to us. There were pictures of the Queen whose tomb it was, in the nude, and in reply to our query, we were given the reason. 鈥淪he鈥檚 naked because the weather was warm, this particular incident happened in the summer.鈥� Which we thought was fair enough.

We saw the stone set up in the floor where people were executed for apparently this was more than mere tomb, it was a place where the Grand Vizier made known the King鈥檚 orders to the members of the Government of the day and was also where offenders were brought to justice.

The next tomb we saw actually in the same building, really a group of lesser tombs, was that of the King鈥檚 physician, Shishi. Here was a fine set of three half busts of the doctor and two patients who had been cured, statues of these two people showed find physical development as a compliment to the doctor鈥檚 skill.
The walls were literally covered with hieroglyphics illustrating many operations and experiments which showed that birds and animals as well as human beings were subjected to experiments in the cause of science even in those days. One section, conveniently placed on a doorway, showed an experiment which the guide laughingly told us he always hid by standing inside the doorway when ladies were visiting the tomb. It showed men standing naked and the doctor kneeling down before them with a knife. He was taking a small slice off the end of the penis for some sort of an experiment. I think I can guess what it was, something to do with erection or VD.

The next tomb we visited was that of Diji, a Grand Vizier. Here again the walls were practically covered with writings and hieroglyphics. The thing that struck us here was the statue of the Vizier鈥檚 wife, it is in a standing position with her back to the wall and above her head was a slit about a foot long and an inch and half high which was provided in order that her spirit could proceed from the tomb into the world to look over the affairs of her husband when he was away on affairs of state. Apparently she died before her husband but was held in great esteem by him a very rare state of affairs in those times. At the end of the same wall was a place for his statue, but this had, according to the guide, been taken to the museum in Cairo.

These three tombs were in one block and were all fitted with a wooden roof pierced by sky-lights and the stones of the walls were placed in their original positions as nearby as possible by the Pasha who restored them some years ago. I almost forgot to mention that the sarcophagus of the Vizier Ti was hewn out of the solid rock.

One of the most amazing tombs here is the Tomb of the Sacred Bulls (Apis). Under a crumbling pyramid a long sloping passageway leads down to a large chamber from which opens the long passageway 100 meters long and about 4 metres wide. Alternately on either side of this corridor are 24 huge caverns each containing the sarcophagus of a bull.

These bulls became sacred upon attaining the age of 25 years and were buried with due honour, surrounded with golden treasures etc. but what was the reason for the calf being included in this honourable conclave of beasts I couldn鈥檛 find out.
Nearly all the lids of the sarcophagus had been moved just enough to permit of the removal of the mummified remains of the bull and the treasures. To be taken off., however, was found impossible owing to the colossal weight, being as they are of Aswan granite and a rough estimate of the measurements puts them at about 20 ft long by 8 ft wide and 6ft high over a foot thick and the lid fits on the top of that, and is about 3 ft high and corresponds in the other measurements. What terrific work was put into the burying of 25 head of cattle!

There is one tomb near here which shows the trouble to which these people went to achieve their object and the engineering skill displayed in some cases is really clever. A good example is the tomb of the three doctors. We couldn鈥檛 learn very much about them, for the old guide could speak practically no English and Jacob could not face the arduous descent and the return climb of those 118 step in the iron spiral staircase. The three sarcophagi were placed in position on the surface and the sand and later the rock was taken away from under them. When they were too deep for the refuse to be taken to the surface by the same shaft, another was cut practically alongside and it was hauled up that. This shaft is the one now used as the entrance. The lids of two of them have been removed and that of the third lifted enough to permit the removal of the mummy and propped up about 18 inches above its original position above the coffin.

I bought a few more scarabs in Memphis to go towards the making of a bracelet for Babs and got them pretty cheaply too. The ride back to the river was without incident though not without its fun. After I had paid my share of the expenses of the trip I was left absolutely flat broke but we had had a good time so I simply said 鈥淢arlish鈥� and left it at that.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.