Our 36 hour pass to Cairo. - A Lucky Escape.
My
name is Ken Harris and I have a story to tell of a 36 hour pass to Cairo
in October 1951 that nearly ended in disaster.
My friends and I felt we needed a break, having been in Egypt for 10 months on the permanent staff of 156 Transit Camp Port Said, so we applied for 36 hour passes to
Cairo. My friends names are John Eede, Chad Chaderton and the three of us got our passes and started our journey on the 6th October 1951. We caught the 13.15
train from Port Said to Cairo and arrived at 17.15 and boy were we glad to get off the train and get to our hotel to freshen up.
After our evening meal, we set off to explore the city and did a lot of window shopping before deciding to go to the pictures. The cinema reminded us of being back
in Leicester Square in London as it was very plush. The male Ushers were dressed in red tailed coats with black trousers and white gloves. The film we saw was
"Soldiers Three" with Robert Newton, Stewart Granger and Peter Lawford.
The next morning, Sunday the 7th October, we engaged a Bedouin guide to take us to the Pyramids and Sphinx. He gave us a tour and explained all the history and
then took our photograph. (See below.) After the tour, we caught a tram to Cairo station for our return to Port Said. While on the tram, some young Egyptians took
the Mickey out of us because they knew we were English soldiers. There was nothing we could do but sit and ignore them, because you had to be very careful how
you behaved in Cairo as at that time they were very hostile to the English. On our journey back to Port Said on the train, we encountered a lot of hostilities from young
Egyptians as we slowed down to go through stations, they knew we were English and stoned us through the open windows, this was very scary.
The next day Monday the 8th October, we thanked our lucky stars we were back in the safety of our camp, for had we have been in Cairo we would have been killed
or seriously injured, because all the white Europeans were rounded up and attacked, this was the day the Egyptians rose up and attacked camps and garrisons up
and down the Canal Zone.
I am sorry to say John told me Chad had died a couple of years ago. John and I remained friends after demob in 1952 until my wedding in 1954 which John attended.
After the wedding I moved house and we lost touch, then 50 years later while on my computer I went to a phonebook website and put in "J. Eede, Surrey" and it came
up with one number and when I rang it, low and behold it was him. Shortly after the phone call I went and spent the day with him and his wife Joan, and one of the
many things we reminisced about was the story above. We have written to each other regularly ever since.
© Ken Harris. 2006.
Thank you Ken for sharing this account.
Richard (Dick) Woolley. September 2006.
My friends and I felt we needed a break, having been in Egypt for 10 months on the permanent staff of 156 Transit Camp Port Said, so we applied for 36 hour passes to
Cairo. My friends names are John Eede, Chad Chaderton and the three of us got our passes and started our journey on the 6th October 1951. We caught the 13.15
train from Port Said to Cairo and arrived at 17.15 and boy were we glad to get off the train and get to our hotel to freshen up.
After our evening meal, we set off to explore the city and did a lot of window shopping before deciding to go to the pictures. The cinema reminded us of being back
in Leicester Square in London as it was very plush. The male Ushers were dressed in red tailed coats with black trousers and white gloves. The film we saw was
"Soldiers Three" with Robert Newton, Stewart Granger and Peter Lawford.
The next morning, Sunday the 7th October, we engaged a Bedouin guide to take us to the Pyramids and Sphinx. He gave us a tour and explained all the history and
then took our photograph. (See below.) After the tour, we caught a tram to Cairo station for our return to Port Said. While on the tram, some young Egyptians took
the Mickey out of us because they knew we were English soldiers. There was nothing we could do but sit and ignore them, because you had to be very careful how
you behaved in Cairo as at that time they were very hostile to the English. On our journey back to Port Said on the train, we encountered a lot of hostilities from young
Egyptians as we slowed down to go through stations, they knew we were English and stoned us through the open windows, this was very scary.
The next day Monday the 8th October, we thanked our lucky stars we were back in the safety of our camp, for had we have been in Cairo we would have been killed
or seriously injured, because all the white Europeans were rounded up and attacked, this was the day the Egyptians rose up and attacked camps and garrisons up
and down the Canal Zone.
John, Chad and Ken at the Pyramids. October 1951. |
Ken and John at 156 Transit Camp Port Said in 1951. |
Ken and John when they met again in 2004. |
I am sorry to say John told me Chad had died a couple of years ago. John and I remained friends after demob in 1952 until my wedding in 1954 which John attended.
After the wedding I moved house and we lost touch, then 50 years later while on my computer I went to a phonebook website and put in "J. Eede, Surrey" and it came
up with one number and when I rang it, low and behold it was him. Shortly after the phone call I went and spent the day with him and his wife Joan, and one of the
many things we reminisced about was the story above. We have written to each other regularly ever since.
© Ken Harris. 2006.
Thank you Ken for sharing this account.
Richard (Dick) Woolley. September 2006.
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