Tag: bathing

20 July 1917

Extract from the diary of Maj P K Glazebrook, Cheshire Yeomanry, Egypt Expeditionary Force

Examinations were on, so Goldsmith & I had nothing to do. I had a bathe in the morning. My only objection to the bathing is the chance of swimming into some ghastly relic of a torpedoed ship. I hear one fellow found a human scalp at our bathing-place yesterday! There was a final orgy in the evening when we asked the officers of the school staff to dine, & got in a small quantity of “fizz”. Christie dined with me. Several of us had to make speeches, & many were rather light.

27 June 1917

Extract from the diary of Maj P K Glazebrook, Cheshire Yeomanry, Egypt Expeditionary Force

Nos: 3 & 4 Companies marched down to the Wadi Ghuzze & washed themselves & their shirts at one of the crossings, entitled C13. There is a lot of water to be had in the Wadi by boring, & in three wells near C 13 they get altogether 1500 gallons an hour. As imported water is estimated as being £1 a gallon by the time it gets here, it is a valuable find to get any decent well. Tom, Noel & Midget rode down to bathe in the sea while the company were washing. I had rather a “head”, so I did not go down with them. As dust began to blow about violently soon after the clothes had been washed, they were soon filthy, & the men were dirtier on arrival back than when they started! They got off digging, so the walk was not wasted.

11 June 1917

Extract from the diary of LCpl Walter Williamson, 6th Bn, 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment

We continued our march, passing through Ledringhe to barn billets near Arneke, only about 10 miles today in view of a big march to come.

Having a look round with Bob Atkinson, a Lewis Gunner, we were delighted to find what we judged was quite a decent bathing pond. Bob tried it with a pole, and finding what proved to be the only deep spot in it (which we did not realize at the time), said there was any amount of water, so we stripped and dived together, and buried our noses in black slime at the bottom of 30 inches of water, and to add insult to injury, the farmer came along while we were trying to clean ourselves again, and screeched some most terrible French at us, and being patient with him, we eventually managed to understand that he did not allow dirty soldiers to use his clean cow’s clean water, or something to that effect, and the only thing we could think of in reply was to ask him if he kept eggs, and finding he did we first ordered ours for tea and then warned the others that eggs might be had at the kitchen.

25 May 1917

Extract from the diary of LCpl Walter Williamson, 6th Bn, 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment

Off at 5-15am for Road making. We finished early owing to the fact that early in the afternoon an enemy observation balloon rose, and had a nice view of the proceedings, and asked their artillery to send a message or two over.’ The one officer in charge of us was not anxious to have any casualties amongst the men (or officer(s)), so we struck work. In order that we should not arrive back at the camp too early, he took us to a bathing pool he had noticed on the outward journey, and as it was a sweltering hot day, we enjoyed ourselves immensely for an hour, the absence of A.S.A. regulation costumes, and towels troubling us not a jot, in fact, shirts felt pleasantly cooler after being used as towels.

27 March 1917

Extract from the diary of Maj P K Glazebrook, Cheshire Yeomanry, Egypt Expeditionary Force

An ordinary sort of parade in the morning, & a bathing parade in the heat of the day. It was quite a hot day today. We got a little news of the fighting at Gaza, only about 120 miles away. Apparently we have got round it, & a battle is going on. There are various rumours about heavy losses on our side, but nothing definite. If only they were not short of rolling stock, I believe we should be pushed up at once.

21 February 1917

Extract from the diary of Maj P K Glazebrook, Cheshire Yeomanry, Egypt Expeditionary Force

Arrived in Cairo & had a bath and breakfast at Shepherd’s, after which I went to Abbassia & interviewed Col Allen, Watson’s new staff officer, about getting out of the staff course, but could get no decision, as they apparently have marked me down, & seemed inclined to give me a definite order to go. I got him to ask HQ to let me off. I returned to Alexandria, dined with Phillips again & stayed at the Savoy, getting a wire to say that I am off the staff course.