Item 04: G. O. Hawkins letters to his family, 2 January 1915-November 1917 - Page 33
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[Page 33]
3
Last Sunday week (that is a week back from yesterday) I went to Suez Port, or as it is called Port Tewfick and I returned here after mid-night last Saturday having spent a week down there on military business
The place was most interesting with its military activity and its cosmopolitan humanity
Arab coolies do all the wharf labour and are always singing or chanting in their unlovely notes which somehow seem to fit, for there is that half weird mystery of Egypt in it which might be called picturesque sound.
Brits & Tommies are here in strong force. Also there are many of the fine swarthy soldiers of India.
Then of course there are sailors and marines.
Frenchmen, Greeks, Dutch, Italians, Egyptians, Nubians, Bedouins and Australians
Also there are samples of a kind of negro, and here and there a spare fuzzy wuz or two, these latter are remarkable chaps with wonderful hair.
Ships from India way were discharging hundreds of came4ls and with these ships were many strange Indian [indecipherable] of tribesmen or Coolies. Some really fine men with a cloth twisted round their middle and flung over one shoulder