Item 02: Henry Frederick Wallace Tucker diary, 1 January - 31 December 1916 - Page 51

[Page 51]

Thursday 27 January 1916
Packing up in readiness to leave for Suez. Order Cancelled. Raining Hard.
Col. Fuller & Major White in Cairo.
Another false alarm this time no one knows why. How willing & anxious the men become on hearing the word to "get Ready". Blankets are rolled in heaps & Kit Bags filled with surplus clothes & placed handy for removal. The Camp is cleaned up & Tents just ready to strike when the word comes to 'Dismantle' everything.

Friday 28 January 1916
Regiment on Parade. Col. Fuller in Camp all day.
Received letters from Home.
Just heard that Lieu. Proudfoot who was attached to 6th Reg. as instructor was killed at Persian Gulf.
Col. Fuller, Major White & Lieu Chisholm drew out of mess & started one for themselves. Bob Dickson saw to the cooking & I looked after the three Officers. The work kept me going, but that is to be preferred to loafing about.

Saturday 29 January 1916
Cleaning up Camp by Regiment.
Col. Fuller & party to Races.
Sent Stick Home. Went to Kursaal.
The Basis of the Arabs Religion is Allah = Or their God.
Mohammad is their God's Apostle, but in reality Mohammad stands first & God is considered the inferior of the two owing to the fact that the Scriptures as we know them are of a much more recent Date than their Kur-an (or writings of their prophet. There are 6 prophets or Apostles according to the Mohammad religion namely Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus & Mohammad. Women are not excluded from Paradise, but it is generally believed that they have no Souls. The principal population of Egypt for many centuries have been composed of Muslim Egyptians, & come from Arabian origin.
Copts are what are known as Christianised Egyptians, & with the Muslims speak Arabic.
The Women adorn themselves by staining their Hands & feet with "Henna".