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

27 June 1916 - official Army record

Athol's Service Record, held with the Australian National Archives in Canberra, notes that Athol was transferred to the Australian Flying Corps on 27 June 1916. This is an extract of those records:

I know this is a little feint. However, it records Athol's transfer from the Imperial Camel Corps to the No.1 Sq. AFC on 27 June 1916. Officially he is 'attached' to this unit at this stage.

Unit War Diary - 18 June 1916 - Athol departs from Sollum

A brief note in the Unit War Diary records that Athol departed the Sollum garrison on Sunday 18 June 1916. He set out for Abbassia (just north of Cairo) with batman Private Ferguson.

Reference: Australian War Memorial unit diary:  https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1014812/
Title: AWM4 11/11/1 PART 1 - January - August 1916 at Page: 67.

Letter - 7 June 1916 - swimming and boxing

This letter is very faded as there was something the matter with the ink. Athol receives more parcels with chocolate, a tin of food, light shirts and two bundles of socks for the men. The weather is hot but they managed to organise a sports weekend with boxing and swimming.

Sollum

7.6.16

Dear Mother,

Many thanks for your No.47 (4.4.16). Also for two bundles of socks for the men and a tin of food and parcel of clothes for myself. The light shirts are A1.

I sent you two snaps taken here, one of the Company and me and one of a part of the camp, about a week ago. [See Blog Post 3 June 2016].

I came in off the desert last Thursday after doing about 100 miles and seeing nothing. The biggest part of the Company is off to a place about 30 miles SE to stop for a fortnight or 3 weeks. I'm stopping here to look after the camp luckily as there will be nothing doing down there and it will be very hot and no chance of a swim.

I have been censoring for nearly two hours and so I'm a bit fed up with letters.

You don't want to worry about ... as this child is perfectly happy and doesn't want to be a general. I'm getting a lot of useful and varied experience one way and another and hope to get more soon.

We are having swimming sports on Monday, boxing competitions on Friday and Saturday and ... a competition Sunday so we're going to be pretty busy this weekend.

I don't know what has happened to the ink but hope you will be able to read this.

I got a double lot of chocolate yesterday - thanks very much. I haven't had many letters lately. I expect that some of them still go to the battalion. [The Battalion was in France].

It is pretty warm here nowadays but after another 8 or 9 weeks it ought to begin to cool off a bit. Hope I'm not here that long though.

My love to Puff and Pater,

Yours lovingly

Athol

Photographs - 3 June 1916 - Sollum garrison and more camels

Athol sends home to mother two photographs - one of the 2nd Company, ICC and the other of the garrison at Sollum.

This photograph is measures 10cm x 6cm. It is quite grainy, in a sepia tone and not clear at all. Athol notes on the reverse:
'No2 Coy ICC on Parade. Taken by a major R.A.M.C. The same day as other one. Me in front. Capt Phillips Coastguards standing. Athol G Adams Sollum 3-6-16'.

This photograph measures 10cm x 6cm. It is quite grainy, in a sepia tone, but a little clearer than the former. Athol notes on the reverse:
'Sollum looking SW from near Garrison H.Q. in early days of occupation. Our camp is about as far again as the houses on sea-shore right top corner. Taken by Lt Dunlap 1/2 Kent RE. Athol G Adams, Sollum, 3-6-16.'

There is a lot of detail in this photograph. I can make out bell tents, a large number of horses, the jetty, a few meters of railway line, dirt road in foreground, tracks going up the hills in the distance, a number of men in uniform, and a few local people. Perhaps the date on the edge of the photo in white hand-writing gives a date: 25 Jan 1916.

Unit War Diary - 2 June 1916 - Numbers of men and camels

As at 2 June 1916, the 2nd Company, Imperial Camel Corps, was comprised of 5 officers, 115 other ranks and 138 camels.

This is the record of the exact details of the unit's strength in the Unit War Diary at p.58.

Reference: Australian War Memorial unit diary:  https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1014812/
Title: AWM4 11/11/1 PART 1 - January - August 1916 at page: 58.

Unit War Diary - 22 May 1916 - some difficult characters

Captain R. Dyott replaced Athol as the Officer Commanding the 2nd Camel Company, ICC, on 19 May 1916. It appears that a military unit of this size required a Captain rather than a Lieutenant in command. Athol, a Lieutenant, was only 21 years of age in May 1916.

Capt Dyott wrote a detailed report to the ICC commander on 22 May 1916 and his reports can be found in the Australian War Memorial's unit diary. Soon after arriving, Capt Dyott notes:

'...things are running as smoothly as one could expect under the circumstances. Lieut Adams was doing his best to cope with a difficult situation. There is a certain amount of personal feeling among the officers due to his being, I should imagine, one of the youngest of the section officers, and he is lacking a really efficient sergeant major.'

Reference: Australian War Memorial unit diary:  https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1014812/
Title: AWM4 11/11/1 PART 1 - January - August 1916 at Page: 31.

I was wondering what Capt Dyott meant by 'under the circumstances'. The Unit War Diary, in an entry written by Capt Dyott on 3 June 1916, gives the reader an appreciation:

'I have had several bad cases of disobedience, obscene language and even violence to N.C.Os this week. I have one court martial pending, and have applied for another. At the General's request I have forwarded to him a list of men who cannot be trusted to carry out patrol work without breaking out into ... He has promised me to do his best to have them removed to their units. Our Imperial Corps should not possess such men as these. They do incalculable harm by their treatment of the natives.'

Reference as above at p.51.