13th February 1915

A shower bath at Mena Camp, similar to the bank of showers Billy

& some mates from the Battery deposited themselves (below).

[Courtesy of Australian War Memorial - C04653]

Mena Camp

Saturday February 13 1915

A general inspection today at 12 noon.  All the reinforcements were sent to the Divisional Ammunition Column and so R.R. is over there now and we got more men from the Amm. Column.  Had half holiday this afternoon.  The shower baths are completed and we scaled over the wall this evening and had a good shower, its grand.  The shower baths are reserved for different units everyday, our turn comes once a week.  A cobber borrowed a few piastres and we went to the Pathes moving pictures; they went fairly good too!

Turkish pontoon boats captured during the Turkish attack on

the Suez Canal, mentioned below by Col. Rosenthal. 
[Courtesy of Australian War Memorial - A02063]

Saturday 13th February

Caught train at Cairo Central Station at 7AM. About 20 officers comprised the party. Passed through Tel el Kebir on way to Ismailia, and also saw on our right the Ancient Land of Goschen. Went through Ismailia to Kantara, about 20 miles nearer Port Said at which place some fighting had taken place. We saw a great deal of earthworks, gun emplacements etc on the Western Bank of Canal, but had no chance to inspect them. At Kantara we found the station buildings protected with sand bags, and an armoured train drawn up alongside the station. A major Brigham of the 69th Punjabis conducted us over the defensive works on the Eastern side of the Canal at Kantara. They were very extensive and complete. From the roof of the Observation House we obtained a fine view of the Surrounding Country.

He also showed us where the Turks attacked but we had not time to go out to the position. General Knox is in Command of this Section, and greatly strengthened his position by inundating the surrounding country from the canal, thus making a very effective barrier. This position had been strongly fortified as it is the Commencement of one of the main caravan routes through the Sinai Peninsula; the other routes coming in at Tussum below Ismailia, and at Suez. We left Kantara at 1.5, journeyed by train to Ismailia, then took ferry down the Canal to Tussum. Ismailia is an exceedingly pretty spot, and has some magnificent avenues of trees and glorious purple and orange Bouganvillae in abundance. On the wharf we saw 18 large zinc boats about 20’ x 5’ which the Turks had somehow hauled across the desert and used in their attempted crossing of the Canal. On arrival at Tussum we were shown the fortification at the post and then proceeded along the banks of the canal to Serapeum, some 3 miles, and it was along this front the main fighting took place. I should have mentioned that just before reaching Tussum we saw some Sikhs dragging two dead Turks from the canal. They had evidently been shot while attempting to cross. About 350 prisoners were taken at this point and about 100 killed and wounded. The Turks force was estimated at 13,000 with 14,000 camels. Special orders were given that our troops should act on the defensive only and take no offensive action, otherwise the whole show with its guns could have been captured.

Political or Mahommedan considerations governed the case. We saw the graves of many Turks, some with arms and legs protruding. They had taken up positions behind little sand mounds, and in each case here were to be seen numbers of empty cartridge cases. We saw some hundreds of boots tied in pairs which had evidently been discarded by the Turks in the expectation of having to swim the canal. We saw the grave of a German Officer, Major Von Hagen, marked with a cross. He deserved his fate for he showed a White Flag, and when our men ceased firing his rear lines still continued. His white flag appears to have been a regular part of his kit, for he had a little khaki case for it. This has been sent to Lord Kitchener by General Birdwood.

All the dead were very poorly clad and all indications point to the troops having had a bad time crossing the desert.

We returned to Ismailia about 7.30, caught train at 8.5, and reached Cairo at 11.15PM. Major King and myself then came out to camp. I met Colonel Semmens of Victoria with this party and incidentally informed him he had got me into trouble by writing letters home from Albany and Colombo. He told me he had personally dodged the Censors. Travelling in the Egyptian railway is very comfortable. Dining saloon very good and meals well served. Transfer of men to Brigade to fill vacancies given effect to.

 

[Courtesy of State Library of New South Wales - Sir Charles Rosenthal diary]

Cross made from the oar of a Turkish pontoon & placed on the grave

of German Staff Officer, Hauptmann Von dem Hagens, on the bank of

the Suez Canal. Von dem Hagens led the Turkish attack across the desert

to the Canal in February 1915, and his body was amongst those found by

a British detachment after fighting two days later.  Col. Rosenthal (above)

mentions seeing the Staff Officer's original grave.

[Courtesy of Australian War Memorial - P02226.037]