TERRITORIALS IN EGYPT.

Press, Volume L, Issue 15155, 19 December 1914, Page 10

TERRITORIALS IN EGYPT.

BARRACK LIFE AT KHARTOUM.

(Extract, from letter sent by Private J. Riley, 7th Manchester Regiment (Territorials,), to friends in Manchester.)

Wβ arrived hero (Khartonm) on Monday, October sth, after a voyage of nearly a month, three weeks of which were spent on board the Grantully Castle. At Alexandria we parted with the rest of the ships, as only our boat had to go further on to Port Sudan. "We had a few hours' leave at Alexandria to stretch our legs, and I spent a very interesting afternoon looking round. YVe had a nice passage down the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, until we came to Port Sudan, where we disembarked. The regiment we are relieving were waiting at Port Sudan. We got a right royal reception from them, and have never seen men so overjoyed, some of them having been stationed abroad for seven years, five of which havo been spent in various parts of kgypfc. The barracks here are splendidly situated on the Blue Nile, there being plenty of trees around for shade and It re J* the eye from the gtore of the sand. There are dozens of wash and shower baths, and we can use these as often as we like, besides which I beheve there i s a portion of the Nile allotted us for swimming. The rooms nro the bungalow system, fitted all throup with eler-tric lights and fans. The fans are well needed to keep the rooms cool, as the heat in tho shade vanes from 105 to Iβ degrees. There are swarms of insects attracted to the lights when they are switched on, and they pester us for hours even after lights are switched out, making sleep Hnpossible. There are dozens of different kinds O f small flies, besides locusts, and a kind of flying beetle, twice the size of an ordinary one, which is the worst of all, but which i s not considered dangerous. Then there is the death in twenty-four hours if not attended to immediately, but fortunately this insect is very rare, as also are mosquitoes this effect being brought about by the very rood sanitary conditions prevailing at tho barracks and in its, vicinity. to assist in the work, of course o n ?2 aCC °u" nt of the dangerous \ B i° b - There are "»*■>« here who. for five nia<=tres (l s Otd) a Il?L frOm^ Ch <™- n in the' all the washing of tins, scrub the tables and floors and make the room tidy in all respects. There are lots of donkey £fm^ the tes ' - and for i»tf l^2 toum J T)T c + Can nde n 'e ht ''"to KJarit is very interesting to watch the Vie" 0 T? men clothS in the Mle. They soak them well in the wl i, 3n , d the , n scrub thej n well with KJ and feet, afterwards ns7ng~ 11% ?u , as a y klnd of ext ™ scrubber. The meals are very eoorf taVi n «<.«7i A l^H^'J 1 * ood st ™ for di nn ?r and bread and tea and some kind of tinned fru )t for tea. Wo rise at 5 ?1 o aVe 0 , hm,re ' P°°d drill finished for the day, but we are by no tien by the Colonel of beds and equipment at 10 a.m., followed at 11 a m I*l™F?-A C \?t and bayonets; and woe betide the man with dirty Belongings as we are under strict military law, and the least offence is CS On all parades Sβ heat "n° " F ° rn, ° n acconn t of