Life in a strange land before Gallipoli

TOURISTS: Five Mounted Riflemen visit the Sphinx and Great Pyramid at Giza near Cairo.

It's a common perception that the first New Zealand troops with their Australian counterparts, sailed off to the Great War, arrived in Egypt and soon after went ashore at Anzac Cove to kick off the Gallipoli Campaign.

In fact, there was a four-month gap between landing at Alexandria on December 3, 1914 and the Gallipoli landing. The uncertainty of this time was largely filled with training and tourism.

The Main Body soldiers thought they were destined for the Western Front. In October, 1914 there was heavy fighting in France and Belgium, with Britain's small professional army under pressure and needing reinforcement. The convoy was still at sea when Turkey entered the war on November 5 as a German ally. From that point the Suez Canal became a war target, under threat from Turkish forces in Palestine. The New Zealand-Australian force would become part of the security for Egypt and the canal.

It is probably just as well our men did not sail to Britain in late 1914. Training camps for the vast number of new recruits were hardly established and there was a shortage of every type of military equipment. The arrival of 8500 New Zealanders would have increased accommodation problems.

Soldiers disembarking at Egypt entered a world of which few had any experience. The cities were exotic, busy, noisy and, to a New Zealand nose, smelly. The urban population was cosmopolitan; in the country, Egyptian peasants worked in an ancient tradition.

The New Zealanders made camp at Zeitoun, a Cairo suburb a few kilometres north-east of the city. Everything had to be established from the sand up. The men were in winter uniform and in such unsuitable clothing they immediately began training again. Each day the units marched or rode to training grounds where the men acclimatised, increased their fitness and practised tactics. In late December, the New Zealanders marched through Cairo. Major Herbert Hart of the Wellington Battalion reported that:

"Great crowds to see us everywhere. After passing through modern Cairo, we passed into the old city and for about three miles follow along winding streets amidst native shops or bazaars ... the lanes are quite narrow, I could reach either side with my sword and the stalls were usually only 3 or 4 feet deep and the same width. A weird and wonderful sight it was, more like a dream than reality."

In leave times, the men visited Cairo which was an eye-opening experience for most. The usual temptations for soldiers were available at a price and the men were constantly accosted by street-sellers speaking a brand of English.

Another popular trip was a visit to the pyramids, across Cairo. Many men sent photos home, showing them perched on camels by the Sphinx or pyramids. Others made the climb; Hart on December 13. He noted that the previous day two Australians had fallen off and were killed.

An active interlude came in late January 1915, when a Turkish force in the Sinai threatened the Suez Canal. The New Zealand infantry moved north along the canal near Ismailia. There, with Indian troops, they fired their first shots in anger and helped defeat the Turkish attempt to cross the canal. After eyeballing the enemy across the canal, the New Zealand troops returned to Zeitoun at the end of February. Training in large units increased - by March the Australian and New Zealand Division, 16,000 men commanded by General Godley, could carry out a mock divisional attack.

Rumours emerged on possible employment for the keen soldiers, now including the 2nd Reinforcement which arrived in late January. Hart mentions the Sea of Marmara (leading to Constantinople) as a possibility. Another rumour suggested the Anzacs would be moving to a cold country. During training the men were exposed to several khamsins (Egyptian sand storms) and a plague of locusts.

There were several large inspections, concluding with 20,000 men parading before Sir Ian Hamilton, newly-appointed commander of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.

The allied naval attack of March 18, 1915 against the Dardanelles had clearly failed. By early April the New Zealanders knew they would soon be in action.

Herbert Hart wrote, "Everyone is as pleased as possible at the prospect of a move except the Mounted Units who are being left behind, and consequently wish they had never seen a horse."

But the troops bound for Gallipoli did not leave quietly. On April 2 Anzacs paid a last visit to the red-light area in Cairo and began a riot, throwing furniture from buildings, setting fire to the debris and interfering with attempts by fire brigades and military police to establish order.

The Egyptians were probably happy to see the Anzacs leave.

From April 4 the men were busy packing, striking camp and sharpening bayonets and, on April 11, 1915, began the voyage to Lemnos, the advance base for the coming Gallipoli Campaign.

The waiting was over, the training done.

Battle would soon expose how useful the long lead-up to active service really was.