Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 56
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[Page 56]
heat of hell - this is Aden - which is nevetheless one of the important links in the Empire.
We found the Lancashire fusiliers in garrison, awaiting the coming of the Turks who for days had been making threatening appearances on the skyline. They had continued to make themselves comfortable in the Club there which is a very fine one of its kind and the band and al fresco dinner on the only lawn in the town always made a pleasant ending to a day of sweat and flies.
News of the Emden had preceded us and we were looked upon as curiosities - as someone who thus early had seen the real thing and at Aden we got used to the catechism which was afterwards launched on us at every new port we touched. Some of the officers threatened to get printed accounts of the show & push one on everybody they met.
We left Aden after one day spent in coaling & proceeded up the Red Sea. The Turk in his kindness had put all the lights out on the Australian Side and Navigation was tricky and bets were freely made with the Navigator that he would pile us up. On the way we passed the ruins of several Turkish forts which had been bombarded a few days before by the Duke of Edinburgh. The Garrison had fled inland. We reached Suez and almost [indecipherable] by on the passage of the Canal army at port Said on Sunday 29th November.
The fortification of the Canal had already begun, and British an Indian troops lined the banks. It was interesting to compare the primitive defences and hastily thrown up earth work of 1914 with the complicated and elaborate devices prepared for the reception of Turks as seen by the writer in 1916.