Item 01: Irene Victoria Read letters from her husband, 27 November 1914-1 November 1915 - Page 102
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[Page 102]
No. 13.
Copy to Mother
No. 2 General Hospital
Mena Camp
Cairo
28.1.15.
My dearest old Mrs.
My last letter was from Alexandria dated 17th Jany. On the [blank] I left Alexandria in charge of an advance party of our unit with instructions to proceed to Mena & pitch our hospital. I had with me 5 officers & 50 men. The train journey between Alexandria & Cairo was very interesting – we traversed the Nile Delta for 3 ½ hours & it is just like a succession of Chinamen's gardens. Every inch of the land is irrigated & under cultivation. We passed numerous Arab villages – these are really a conglomeration of mud huts housing human beings, camels, donkeys, sheep, goats & dogs. From Cairo we proceeded by tram to Mena distant about 10 miles. Here we are camped under the shadow of the Great Pyramid & close to the large Mena House, in times of peace a fashionable hotel and the resort of the society of Europe & of America. The advance party was joined after a couple of days by the rest of our unit – in the meantime we made a start in getting the tents pitched. I have since been in charge of the camp & am entrusted with the task of getting the whole camp in order. Mena House has been used as a hospital for the more serious cases