William Ambrose Cull letter diary, 1915-1918 - Page 23
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[Page 23]
take the General Salute playing, "God Save the King", while we return the honor with the "Marsaillaise".
It was intended that we should pull out of the Port about 4 o'clock that afternoon, but it happened that a small steamer was sunk just in front of us, so that we were delayed until a passage was cleared a little farther down. We weighed anchor the following morning – June 11th . At Port Said we were told to have out Equip. ready so that we might, if necessary, dis-embark in an hours notice.
Many believed that this would mean a route march at Alexandria, while a few guessed that we should dis-embark at Alexandria to commence our training.
I believe that I was counted among the few, although I hoped that I might be wrong.
We arrived at Alexandria on the night of the 10th and because of the great number of transports in the port, we were unable to dis-embark before the morning of the 12th – Saturday. I'm quite sure that at least 57 steamers were in the Port, the greater number of them being transports.
One looks with a strange feeling on a City with the history of Alexandria.
I thought of how about 300 B.C. Alexander after taking over Egypt then a Persian province (that is, after his conquest of Persia) choose a little town for his capital which he re-named after himself "Alexandria", & so to create one of THE present time Cities of the World: of how Egypt came under the rule of Arabia, after the conquest of "Alexandria" about 600 A.D.: of Napoleon storming "Alexandria" about 1800 supposedly but not truly in the interest of Turkey: of how the British were driven out of Alexandria, by the Turks, under Mohammed Ali, in the year 1807 –
We entrained on the pier, so was unable to see as much of the City as I should have wished. It is, I believe, about 80 miles from Alexandria to Cairo –
We de-trained at Zeitoun about 8 mile North of Cairo and marched into our Camp at "Heliopolis" (City of the Sun) about five o'clock in the afternoon –
"Heliopolis" is about six or seven mile from Cairo. North.
Annie may punctuate* and correct my spelling and English in her spare time – – I shall give you my impressions of this place when next I write. I have written this note in record time, for the mail is about to close, & I have not had the chance of writing before this.
[Written vertically, in left-hand margin:]
I should now be writing up notes, for I am behind with them; so that you understand that this is a memory in the rough, and nothing more.
Best love to all –
Your aff. Son & brother
Bill