According to William’s diary, he spent much of his last two weeks in Cairo tripping around and seeing the sites. By then, Lily Deane, his sister-in-law was stationed at the Citadel Hospital, Cairo, and spent her down time, along with some of her nursing friends, in the company of William and Fred Hockey. I wish I could time travel and accompany them on their excursions. If only I knew about their time in Egypt when I visited 70 years later. That knowledge would have made my experiences more meaningful. At that stage, I had not yet found William’s diary. And even after I discovered it tucked away in a drawer of their living room hutch, the meaning of what I was reading was beyond me.
Two days before he departed for Australia, William and Lily spent the afternoon at the Pyramids. In my first attempt to recreate the scene where they board a tram to take them back to the city, I relied on my own imagination. Then I decided to look for photographs of the Giza tram stop back in that era. Incredibly, back during the first world war, the tramline to the Pyramids was well established with regular trams running throughout the days and into the evenings. The site was already popular with travellers prior to the war and looking at the photograph below, a full view of the Pyramids from a tram seat would have been impossible.
I also included in the story, Lily’s wish to ride a camel. Cameliers, no doubt, cashed in on the influx of military personnel exploring the site. Most books and websites, dedicated to that time in our history, display photos of nurses and soldiers sitting on camels with the triangle peaks behind. Below is the only photograph taken of Lily during her service abroad.
Lily Deane – on left.
I am sure that sitting atop a camel would not have fazed Lily Deane. Both she and her younger sister Nellie were accomplished equestrians who competed in events at various agricultural shows and Lily often rode side saddle.
Lily and horse with prize ribbons won at the Ayr Show
One more detail I mentioned is a necklace featuring the head of Egyptian Queen Neferititi. This was something Lily brought back from Egypt and perhaps gave it to her younger sister Nelly. When we were growing up, Aunty Nelly was always giving my sisters and I little treasures. She gave the said necklace to my sister Noeleen, who proudly wore it to school one day. It was stolen from the change rooms while she played sport. The thief would have had no idea of its significance, other than it was a pretty trinket..
William wrote in his diary they ate supper at St. James’ after their trip to the Pyramids. I have searched the internet for anything on this restaurant to no avail. I thought perhaps it was at one of the hotels he frequented, like The National or Shepheards. By chance, I thought I had seen the name on a receipt he had kept. When I found the receipt, to my pleasant surprise it was dated 9th November 1917. So, I know exactly what William and Lily ordered, although the writing is a little difficult to understand. I assume he drank the beer and she enjoyed ginger ale (??)
I am constantly amazed at the little items that William kept from his time in Egypt. Not only are they gems that add authenticity to his story, they seem to materialise when I need them. Admittedly, during my travels I tend to keep all sorts of ephemera like this receipt. Upon my return home I stow them in a box or packets to never see the light of day again. Recently, during one of my recent spurts of decluttering, I threw out much of my collection that spanned 40 plus years. Mind you, I kept postcards and books that might refresh my memory when I come to write about my experiences.
behind the cupboard doors 