Letter - 9 July 1916 - Abbassia

Athol writes home after a long interval between letters.

In late June he had been transferred by sea (in a trawler) to Alexandria and then on to Abbassia.  The Imperial Camel Corps headquarters was in Abbassia which was in the northern fringes of Cairo. Shortly after arriving in Abbassia the Commanding Officer sent Athol south to Shellal to collect 58 camels. [There is a useful map towards the end of this blog-post]. After meeting up with the camels at Shellal he accompanies them back to Abbassia where, of course, more parcels from Melbourne awaited.

Imperial Camel Corps
Abbassia
9.7.16

Dear Mater,

Please forgive me for not writing for such a long time but I have been putting it off every day in the hope that I would have something definite to tell you. You see I have been down here (Abbassia) since 20th last month waiting for a transfer to the Australian Flying Corps but the papers have to go through so many hands that I have no definite word as yet.

I left Sollum 18.6.16 and went to Alexandria by trawler and it was pretty choppy too. We got to Alexandria on 19th and the next day I came on up here. Last Friday the CO sent me up to Shellal which is just past Aswan to receive 58 camels from the Sudan. I left here 8pm arrived Shellal 5pm Saturday. No sign of camels but the railway people gave me a 1st class coach to sleep in on Sunday. I had a look at Philae and the dam and went into Aswan for the night. Saw all the sights of Aswan and had a fine lot of grapes and figs from the trees on Keleheman Island. I think Aswan must be prettier now than it is in the season because all the trees are in flower, the dates are just beginning to turn colour and there isn't too much water in the river.

At last the camels came down from Haifa - they didn't arrive until Wednesday night. We left Shellal Thursday morning at 4:30am, arrived Luxor 11:30am. De-trained camels and then had a look at Karnak and the other ruins. Trucked camels 4:30pm. Left Luxor 7pm. Slept on flat truck under a .... limber. Arrived Cairo 2:30am Saturday. Untrucked camels 8am.

Found two parcels of clothes, 2 of food, 2 lots of socks, 1 of fly nets, 1 of boots, 1 of shells (?), and 3 chocolate, also 4 'Australasians', 1 'Bulletin' and one letter (50) for all of which many thanks.

Randolph Creswell [portrait below] is here at present in command of No.11 Company which is just being formed.

I expect you will have seen Dr Stawell by the time you get this. I had dinner with him the day before he left Egypt.

There is nothing else. Love to Pater and Aunt Puff. Also please thank those people who make socks etc for me in your parcels.

Yours lovingly,

Athol

Map showing route from Cairo to Aswan and Shellal

This excellent railway map can be found at: http://mikes.railhistory.railfan.net/r050.html.
Shellal, where Athol was sent to take delivery of the 58 camels, is located at the foot of the map just south of Assuan (Aswan).

Captain Randolph Creswell

Capt. Randolph Creswell was a Melbourne Grammar old boy - about 4 years older than Athol. He would have been in the same year as Athol's elder brother, Clifford. He graduated as a mining engineer from Melbourne University, Trinity College, and his first job was in Broken Hill, an important mine site in far western NSW. Randolph was a keen athlete excelling in swimming and hockey. He took part in the Senussi campaign and was mentioned in despatches for his efforts leading to the rescue of an aviator who had crashed in the desert. Randolph was killed in action in Palestine in November 1917.

Randolph's father was Vice Admiral William Rooke Creswell after whom the naval base HMAS Creswell is named. William Creswell is regarded as the father of the Royal Australian Navy. Randolph's twin brother Lieutenant Edmund Lindsay Gordon Creswell was wounded at Bullecourt, but survived. Another brother Lieutenant Colin Fraser Creswell RN was killed in submarine E.47.

Captain Randolph Creswell, Imperial Camel Corps

Australian War Memorial image: DA09592