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For this purpose the R.E. started boring at Water Dump A, about twenty-five miles from Sherika, and were so far successful that, at the finish of the Dakhla expedition, they were obtaining sufficient water to work the bore. By that time also the light railway had advanced to within a few miles of Water Dump A.
But no war is without its horrors these came about once a month in the shape of inspecting generals, who ordered us to raze our defences and build fresh and proper ones not a bad game in sand, where you do anyhow see some result for your labours. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Dr Tuke and his sanitary squad for the comfort and health of the Regiment at Sherika.
Regularly once a week at morning stables he turned the whole troop out to water, while he and "Dinkum" swept the entire garage out a sure sign that the previous night had been pay night. He always was a hard worker, but a perfect demon for work the morning after the night before. A squadron leader was showing a man how to use a pick, cutting trenches in the sandstone at Sherika.
Egypt, of course, afforded great scope for Tukie's fly-extermination crusade, and I have already referred in the text to his extraordinary success in exterminating mosquitoes at Sherika. In Palestine his sanitary schemes were almost universally adopted, and his award of a Military Cross hardly represents the great improvements he introduced into the sanitation and health of the Force.
However, with the help of the Engineers, we built a beautiful swimming-bath, 26 yards long, which was formally opened by Lieut.-Colonel A. M'Neil, O.C. troops, at a swimming gymkhana on 6th August. Although we had abundant water at Sherika and Kharga, it had to be bored for.
At Sherika, rather than lose his share of the ice, he took it with his tea. Bombing was his strong point, and as an instructor in hand and rifle grenades he was first class. Routine he hated like poison. Mac is perhaps the only officer who was witty once and only once in his trench report. I don't know if H.Q. see the point of his remarks to this day.
We became a small detached force the Kharga Oasis Detachment under Lieut.-Colonel Angus MacNeil, 2nd L.S. Yeomanry, consisting of the Highland Mounted Brigade, a squadron of Egyptian Lancers, and a company of the I.C.C. Later on three 15-pounders were sent us, a company of R.E., a battery of Sikh Mountain Gunners, R.F.C., at Meherique, and later at Sherika about 1000 baggage camels and 2000 E.L.C. We also had an A.S.C. Bakery Section and our own slaughter-house, and towards the end of our stay at Sherika another company of I.C.C. joined us.
Minia is one of the wealthiest towns in Upper Egypt, and it was thought probable that the Senussi might attempt to raid Minia or Assiut, with a view to plundering the banks and giving a start to any disaffection among the fellahin. On 5th March we moved again farther south to Sohag, and a squadron carried on to Kilo 145 on the Sherika line to take up an outpost line.
We received a most unpleasant welcome at Gara on the night of 13th April. A severe sandstorm got up at night, and in the morning we had hardly a tent standing. Gara didn't like us. When we returned there in November we were washed out by a cloud-burst a thing which hadn't happened there since the Flood. On the 16th of April we went to Sherika, and there we remained till 15th November.
Willie was due for leave about the first week of January 1919, but as he had spent all his money, and about £200 of other people's, on the men's Christmas dinner, he had just to stay where he was from want of funds to take him home. While at Sherika, Ross Robertson left us to join R.F.C. He was our first signal officer, and when he left was second in command B Squadron.
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