Grandad’s WWII Diary – Tuesday 20th January – Saturday 24th January 1942

Click here for diary entry for Monday 12th January – Monday 19th January 1942

Tuesday January 20th

289th Day

Received word all Libyan men proceeding on leave at 12.30AM. Packed gear, taking most with us. Lorries left at 1.30AM Taking us to Cairo passing through Heliopolis. Arrived at 5.20PM. Checked in at Sydney House. Board very hard to get. Cairo packed with troops. Spent evening looking around. Meet boys out of Bardia.

Wednesday January 21st

290th Day

Visited Maadi – collected camera. Saw zoo in afternoon – lovely grounds – on way to pyramids. Unable to use camera while at zoo. Night visited Pam-Pam(?) caberet.

Thursday January 22nd

291st Day

Able to get first real meat (Meatless days in Cairo Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday). Strolled around city. Pictures in afternoon “This Thing Called Love”. Had meal then pictures agian at 9.30 session. “Great Lie”. Then to bed.

Friday January 23rd

292nd Day

Saw Heliopolis (see photos at the end of this post) – more European than Cairo – lovely & clean. Took many snaps and spent most of day there walking around streets and parks. Returned to Cairo. At night visited American Bar Cabaret (Bardia). Had great floor show on – same as you see in the pictures. Cabaret far too dear for ordinary soldier.

Saturday January 24th

293rd Day

Walked around streets during morning. Strolled out of bounds through bazaars in afternoon. Saw the making of leather and wooden shoes. Wonderful workmanship. Streets filthy – in one of the ??? areas. When trying to find ??? way out, got in a maze. Wog policeman guided us. Went to pictures at 6.30PM session – “The Flame of New Orleans” & “???“. Wrote short note to Marg then back to bed early.

Oranges in season very cheap – 3 ??? per dozen, enormous ones and had some wonderful ??? ??? ???.

Photos below were taken in Heliopolis so I assume they were taken on the date above as mentioned. Grandad is in the second photo in the middle.