Item 01: Cameron Robertson war diary, 18October-20 December 1914 - Page 38

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[Page 38]

ten miles from Cairo.
We have a one hundred and twenty mile run in the train first.
Not landing till tomorrow.
9th
Last breakfast on board at 6.30 am. All hands were on the wharf at 8 am except Jack Clark, Les Wall, Harry Hoghead and myself. Us four having to stay behind to swab the decks.
We stayed on board till about 9.30 am. We then went ashore and stayed on the wharf with the rest of A.S.C. (who were the last to leave) till about 11.30 am then we formed up and marched through the city (the streets of which were very sloppy) to a place called Gabbari where we camped in an old vegetable market which smelt strongly of onions. We also found that it was infested with cockroaches and other insects.
There is a terrace of old and very much dilapidated houses at one side of us from which the men and women lean from the windows to stare at us. They are a dirty looking lot.
The women wear a cloth over their face all you can see is their eyes. We are not allowed to look too long or stare at them as it is considered by them as an

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