Item 01: Oliver Hogue letters, November 1914-29 December 1915 - Page 69
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[Page 69]
6
Nile for everything. All Egypt is fertile only where the Nile flows or where the irrigation channels meander. Of course, out in the desert there are numbers of oases with Springs but they are a negligible quantity.
We still have several of the plagues of Egypt with us. The worst are the locusts and the flies and the murrain of beasts. For the last reason we never allow any of the local horses, cattle, camels, buffuloes or donkeys to drink at any of our water troughs.
On the way to the Barage we passed through a wonderful area of fertile land all covered with crops - barley, peas, lucerne etc and every square inch seemed to be used. Also we saw swarms of locusts, millions & millions of them and all over the area were hundreds of the fellahin with the children banging kerosene tins etc to shoo off the pest. Today (Easter Monday) is what Mrs Kyle would call a "shocking day". It was hot & muggy & the wind coming over the limitless desert is filling the air & the tents & every thing with sand & dust. The regiments are however out on manoeuvres & drill & exercises. I gave headquarters an hours rifle drill & then got into the Comparative (only comparative) comfort of the Camp.
I would like to tell you of a wild & woolly hullabaloo.