大象传媒

Chapter 4

We embarked on the 'Ethiopia', I was responsible for loading the ship, the crew refusing to do it, it was not very difficult but the men manning the donkey engines were not very efficient but we managed after bit of difficulty with some of the transport The harbour was full of damaged and sunken ships, I never counted them but it was a great number. There was a danger of us being attacked by 2 Italian destroyers that were loose in the Red Sea but the journey was completed without incident. Unfortunately I developed a temperature and had to remain in bed, it was terribly hot and I never recovered until Dr Bapty lanced my thumb with a razor blade. My thoughts whilst in bed were of course all about Kit and the boys; I had no fear of anything else. We were told before disembarkation at Suez that we would be staying there at least 10 days to refit and rest, this suited us all very nicely having spent so much time previously. The first people we saw on the quayside was Joe, Mrs and Maude Buhagier, quite like old times, they were under the impression that I had been wounded because my arm was in a sling. Jack Steer was also there; of course we partook of a few drinks together. The troops were permitted ashore until midnight that night, I was invited to Joe's house for dinner, so got on with unloading the ship as quickly as possible whilst doing so orders came through for us to entrain that night, leaving the MT to travel by road, as the troops had been given leave until midnight this caused rather a stir. However I got my dinner with Joe, it was jolly good after all we had been through. The scenes on my return to the harbour were not what one considers to be quite up to the standard of a well disciplined Battalion, poor old Joe Greenfield blotted his copybook and had to be left behind together with the other absentees which was unavoidable owing to the short notice given.

We had no idea where we were going this time, early next morning we realised where we were, in the afternoon we detrained at our old place Sidi Haneish but this time on the West face of the Baggush box in relief of the Leicestershire Regt with whom we stayed for a couple of days before they left for Crete, it was here that I spent my birthday, a terrible sand storm raged all day but I was compensated by receiving a letter from the CO saying that I had been Mentioned in Despatches. Shortly after this we again met our old friends the Camerons, Douglas had been wounded. The same day we moved back into our old position on the south face of the Baggush box, I went into occupation of my old dugout and storeroom, how long we were to stay there was not known. My stay was short lived, because one evening I was sent for to the orderly room and told to proceed on leave the next day for 7 days, I told them I did not want to go and I really didn鈥檛 although I knew it would do me a lot of good, besides where was I to go, I hadn鈥檛 been anywhere without Kit and the boys, without her I was lost, there being nothing to interest me and I didn鈥檛 want to go loafing around Cairo. The CO would not take no for an answer and the following morning found me on the leave train to Cairo. Arriving there the same evening I had not the slightest idea of where to go, I thought of the place where I believe Frank Day and Bob Evans spent their honeymoon, but I couldn鈥檛 find it so I trekked around Cairo looking for some place to stay the night, eventually I got a room in the National Hotel, it was only a bathroom as the hotel was full but I didn鈥檛 mind as I intended it to be temporary, it was on the top floor a devil of a way up. I had the first thing I wanted and that was a steaming hot bath. I never had anything to eat that evening except bits with my drink because I couldn't pluck up courage to go into the dining room, I went out, had a haircut, went to the pictures and saw "Gone With The Wind" in colour and so back to my attic bathroom. During the night the air raid alarm sounded, there was a lot of running about, I was called but being on the 9th floor I decided to chance it and stay put, nothing happened. It was during the raid I decided to spend time at Suez where I did at least know a few people. I rose early the following morning and had breakfast in the dining room before all the 'posh erbs' of BTE and ME were astir, paid my bill, which was a quid, pointing out at the same time that I had been accommodated in a bathroom and not in the grand suite. I then went up to the Citadel to collect some of my kit and look at our base store, from there I went to the station only to learn that there were only two trains a day one at 7 am and the other at 7 pm, so I had all day to wait the time being about 9.30 am. So I went for a walk around Cairo like a lost sheep, but whom should I bump into but Tommy Lyons, what a godsend, he of course was away from the unit at the time. We had some drinks and lunch at the place where he was staying. I phoned Suez to book a room at the Miser but Joe Buhagier would not hear of it and insisted that I stay with them. That evening I floated off to Suez where I was met and entertained by Joe, how very kind they were all to me but I could not shake off my feeling lonely and missing Kit, they did everything possible to entertain me, I must have been a hard guest to entertain. I used to go swimming and pigeon shooting and to the pictures with them, on the whole except for this lonely feeling I had a good time and a real good rest, which did me the world of good. On my last day they drove me to Cairo in their car and in the evening had dinner at the Heliopolis House and then to see "Gone With The Wind" again. They wanted me to stay the night with them at the Heliopolis but again I was frightened of imposing on their good nature, so I refused, in consequence I was too late to book a room spending from midnight until the train departed walking up and down Cairo station, which was not at all pleasant and purely my own fault and so back to the desert.

The Battalion were still in the south face of the Baggush box, the time being occupied by training and improving the defences, my own dugout was unproved and well camouflaged. I was quite comfortable and safe neither was I overworked being able to write very regularly to Kit and look forward to the receipt other letters, parcels and papers. The PRI sent to Alexandria weekly for supplies of vegetables etc, but the CO was not satisfied with the results, and so I was given a two-day break and performed the job. We left Sidi Haneish about 8 one morning and arrived in Alexandria at about midday, a distance of 130 miles approximately. I visited Mrs Evans with a letter from the CO and she very kindly asked me to stay for lunch but again I got that silly feeling and refused for no reason whatsoever except that I felt out of place. I then engaged a room at the Windsor Palace Hotel being asked by the reception clerk if I wanted a single or double room, I naturally asked for a single and got one, I found out later that if the reply had been a double room the necessary partner would have been supplied. After my usual hot bath, haircut and shampoo, I sallied forth to do my shopping and how I hate that job. I went to the NAAFI at Mustapha Barracks and bought a lot of stuff beer, shaving soap, whisky, gin etc. Now entering Mustapha Barracks reminded me of the 'good old days', I simply had to go and visit the site of our old tent where we used to spend our holidays. I then went to the market place and ordered a lot of vegetables, cabbages, and tomatoes etc, which were for collection the following morning, the rest of purchases I also left until the following morning. The rest of the day was at my disposal; once again I got that lonely feeling not knowing what to do with myself and once again missing Kit. I went to the Anglo American Club and had tea, this again brought back memories of our holidays, from there I went to the pictures came out quite early and returned to the hotel for what seemed a long evening. I would have given anything to pluck up courage to visit a cabaret or some such place but on my own I could not. The following morning I adopted my old method of breakfasting early to avoid the rush of Base Officers, being picked up by Glue and Baker, who looked very red around the eyes. Immediately afterwards, I then collected my purchases of the previous day, made some more which included such things as vivid pink pyjamas for Ali Bates, a couple of flat irons and a visit to the Nile Cold Storage for odds and ends such as sauces etc, from there to Mrs Evans to collect purchases made by her and so to the Matruh Road for the long run back. I must say that I was always pleased to get back to the company of the Battalion, I disliked intensely having at any time to leave it and go out amongst strangers had I been able to go out with Kit of course it would have been different, without her and away from the Battalion I was lost. Leave to South Africa was in operation about this time, but as others had been in the country 10 months longer than I had, I was bottom of the roll; I hope I managed to cover my disappointment well.

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