The Road to Chunuk Bair

Reveille 5a.m.   Breakfast 5.45a.m.   Parade 6.30

2 oz[?]. Ball Amm[?]. A great scramble to get onto Battalion Parade. The notorious Jones parades blind drunk with his trousers wet and has to be shoved into Guard Room. Battalion moves off in column of bumps and companies rush for places in the train. Everyone gets aboard and 15 minutes sees us at Cairo. Company is sized in two ranks at once by impromptu method on Brigadiers’ order. Finally parade moves off. We are to line the streets on the occasion of the procession of the New Sultan from the palace to Abden Square to hear the proclamation of the protectorate read. We lined the streets and saw the procession. The Egyptian Cavalry are showy troops. Mounted on fine Arabs with brilliant blue and gold uniforms they make a brilliant picture. The Sultan looked old and worn. The G.O.C in Egypt Sir John Maxwell followed. We marched back to Camp after the procession had passed arriving at 1p.m. very ready for Sundays dinner. Our mess is now in full going order and is a great satisfaction. We are all pleased to have been present at what one might call the annexation of Egypt. It is an historical event.

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