Item 01: Oliver Hogue letters, November 1914-29 December 1915 - Page 43
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[Page 43]
4
I've met some nice people in Cairo and Maadi. On Sunday afternoon I motored out to Gizerah (or some place) and put in an hour or two with Lady Willcocks - or to be exact with her daughters and grand daughters. I captivated the old lady in one act then excited the children. One of them is Jean and the other Eve & they are very nice youngsters; aged about 10, also there are twins, girls about 2 ½ & wonderfully fair and rosy-cheeked & quite a good 'ad' for Egypts climate. But they go home to England in the Summer. Old Sir William Willcocks is an engineering genius. He first conceived the Assuan [Aswan] Dam idea. The Turkish Govt paid him a fabulous sum to go to Mesopotamia and report on a scheme for the irrigation of the valley of the Euphrates & the Tigris.
Because I was kind of heart & recited half a dozen times at the Continental Rallies the Minister Mr McGillan asked me to dinner. I went on Monday night. The dinner was good; the wines excellent; the company pleasant: the night just perfect.
These Egyptian nights are wonderful. The winter cold is gone & there is spring in the air. The nights are fine, clear & cloudless, with the moon just pure silver. The reflections in the Nile are just gorgeous. The huge date palms