James Baillie diary, 11 February 1915 - 18 February 1916 - Page 16

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(Sunday 4th)
Went to church at Heliopolis. They had a grand service. A beautiful big church visited the Catholic church there and watched the service. The people here are mostly catholics made up of French Greek Italians and Spanish the service was very nice carried out by five priests could not understand anything they said but they took comunion and then started same service over again. Came home to dinner and had a good feed for a wonder We got orders to be ready to move off in morning as advance guard at 6 am the rest of day was taken up in getting our equipment together and limbers loaded for an early start to Cairo went to bed early for a good sleep.
(Monday 5th)
Got up at 5.30 am. And moved off at 6 Oclock marched through Abessich and then on to Cairo arriving there at 8.30 AM. Got into train at 9 Oclock and started for Alexandria. We soon got out of Cairo and the country is lovely and green lucern and corn All along the line there are native villages women and men working in the fields I never thought they could turn the desert into one vast plain of agriculture. It is all done by irrigation from the Nile. We crossed the Nile and passed through some very large towns Well one gets tired on looking at the scenery mile after mile We came at last to water so cannot be far of Alexandria. Arrived in Alexandria at 2 pm and went straight aboard the SS Osmanich (AO) She is not fitted up for a troopship no hammocks or any tucker either She is a passenger ship and quite new She used to run to Constantinople before the war anyway this is to be our home till we get to Lemnos. We are not leaving here till tomorrow. We cannot go ashore here as there is a strong guard on the gangway So have nothing to do but get under the Blankets.
(Saturday 6th)
Still in Alexandria we are leaving this afternoon Got under way at 2 pm and proceeded to sea passed a lot of troopships anchored in the harbour they are waiting for the troops to come later Well outside the breakers Sea very rough The boys are all down to it. My word this packet can travel .... pitching and rolling....