Letter from the war (Part 2)

Freetown – strict orders not to throw
coins to the diving boys below
from deck.
Capetown – ashore
family hospitality, – more
and more fruit and steaks, bathing delight,
up Table mountain, with the sight
of Drakensbergs’ range far off.
Sailing north, passing Aden,
baked red rock, first camel seen;
colder weather, moving further
along the Red Sea,
then, at last once more on land,
at Suez: the years begin of living with sand,
sand in the bed, and in the clothes, sandy supplies,
sandy sheets and desert flies
dangerous heat, dangerous cold.

El Tahag* camp, on the Sweet Water Canal;
El Amiriya, (near Alexandria for club-, cinema-going,
and sights of things ancient and old)
goats and hens on village housetops cause surprise;
short visit to Tel-el-Kebir, with trip to Cairo –
seeing the pyramids’ awesome size,
and climbing;
then travelling on through the desert,
miles, and miles, on, and on, until breasting
a rise, seeing beautiful Mersa Matruh nestling
at the edge of the Mediterranean,
white war-damaged houses, palm trees,
deep blue sea, and lagoon loveliness;
pleasant time of hard manual labour,
good unity of workers in the sheer
long-term grind, – they feel and find
themselves more useful: building, building, –
until, (when the enemy seemed to be getting near),
demolition.
Relaxation –
swimming, and, on the lagoon,
service boats, a yacht, pontoon,
canoes, – a 10’ home-made sailing tub,
which they could use – mainsail, rudder,
collapsible keel and jib:
one night they sailed right down the lake,
but they couldnt make headway on the turn
against the wind – the tub too heavy, wide –
– ignominious return!
they had to push it all the way back,
walking in shallow water, close to the lagoon-side.

Water rationing:
half a gallon a day for person and clothes;
furniture fashioning –
table, chair, and bed, instead
of bare planks.
Suddenly: evacuation
of stores,
camp to be abandoned,
intense work for 4 days.

Main unit moved out by midnight
train, orderly flight,
but he stays
– rear party carrying on
loading stores at harbour,
necessary chore –
but little accomplished before
further word to return at once to camp,
then, – “get to the square in 5 minutes
with all your personal kit”,
time to quit –
off to Alexandria (Amiriya) they go –
who will enjoy his carpenterial triumphs now?
‘enemies’ he’ll never meet, befriend and know?

*these seem to be military camp names at the time, though not all identifiable on present day maps