Egyptian Shower, 1943

Chook Fowler, E Troop, 5th Field Regiment

During the Artillery march from Cairo to Alexandria 28 Battery water cart crew rigged up a shower from their cart. In the area the sand was too soft for the vehicle to leave the road so bearing in mind Egyptian women were quite accustomed to people performing natural functions, and unclad bodies, the shower was set up on the edge of the road.

All went well for a while, with some waiting, some showering and some drying with towel or sunshine as wealthy Egyptians were gliding past in their Buicks and Chryslers without so much of a glance.

Then around the corner came a convoy of new Jeeps travelling towards Cairo. As they came closer two things were realised simultaneously:

The drivers were all young ATS girls
There was a shower truck ahead surrounded by naked and bronzed Kiwis.

Several of the Jeeps managed to pass with a degree of man-watching and road-watching when one lass couldn't get her eyes back on the road and ran off into the soft sand to become hopelessly stuck.

Several of our more extrovert characters downed towels and ran unadorned as they were and manhandled the vehicle, with the pinkest looking ATS girl, back onto the road whilst the drivers of the Jeeps held up behind could only marvel at the sight they no doubt had never seen before, nor ever will again.

Chook Fowler, March 2006

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