AN OFFICER'S DIARY.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15218, 4 March 1915, Page 8

AN OFFICER'S DIARY.

APPRECIATION OF THE MEN'S

TRAINING WORK

THE SUDDEN CALL TO THE CANAL. ' "We hare boon 'permitted to make ? the following very interesting extract*" -, from the <$*ry of a well-known officer ;of the Canterbury .section of the main Expeditionary Force in Egypt. The diary was received b.v the officer's wiie i«<' Christchiirch by yesterday's mail :—

•fanuaiy Bth.—Company training: Attack, defence, principally digging and .outposts, nighl marches, and attacks at dawn. The 2nd. had tho honours with a wry good outpost echemo, and a good defence one. In the sand tlie dicing is ea«.y. but very hard in the hilly parts of the desert, ami vei-y rough on the tools. Tho energy of the men is very praiseworthy. Had our first dnst storm this week, and it lasted throe days. Truly awful. One omnpany was out all night, and had a fearfnl time. The conduct of our fellows is very good. A few aro playing up. but they are being dealt with all right. One cannot expect among 10,000 men not to get a small percentage of .wasters.. One resident told

mc the bohavionr of our men was quite as good as that of the Regulars. January 9th.—Last week Robertson's platoon put up a great field firing performance, 36 men starting at 900 yds .(appro*.), and firing at khaki targets at unknown ranges, put on 206 hits out of 360 rounds. This on the desert, too, where judging distance is doubly hard. A SHOOTDvG EXPEDITION. ! January 11th. —Four of us went 'shooting with a Maltese, who speaks six languages. Ho was very [ interesting, and gave us a lot of information. We railed to Cairo and took another train to a place called B2beis. about thirty miles away. There we were met by donkeys and rodo' inland. When we readied a lagoon we got off and ehot through it »tid then rodo on to the next one. We bad very good sport, and brought home twontj'-iive snipe and plover, losing about six in the reeds. We - took a hamper and had lunch at an inn. they providing the wine, ta-bleclotbs ' etc., while we provided the viands, quite a quaint idea. Tie wine comes from . Clrianti in Italy, and is very light and most delicious. Wo eat down again at the inn towards dusk, waiting for the train, and tho town guard passed, a lot.of ruffians in khaki overcoats, who draw one shilling a day, and are active participants in every murder and theft that occurs. Apart from the shooting we had a very interesting time. Canals abound here and we rode for a long time along the banks of one. Shady trees lined them, and as they are highways, native life was much in evidence. One man -we passed . wore a green fez, a. token that he had ■made the pilgrimage to Mecca. Large boats were towed along by one or two mnn with seeming ease, while, every hero and there ferry boats, like round - pontoons, were- waiting to take over iren or animals. We saw a large native market thronged with donkeys, camels, buffaloes, oxen, , fowls, sheep, goats, etc. . A market day is held once a week, and a email charge is made for. admission. The strength of the donkeys is wonderful. rodo a very small one,, and his feet nearly touched the ground, making a- most ludicrous picture. The . little chap kept going all,, day, trotting every now and then, and did not seem to mind at all. A pile of bricks dryinc: in the sun with" the ends of. tile straw- sticking out reminded one of the . Jewish captivity. The. women, top, with their graceful gnrnients trailing .in all kinds of dirt, anil with pitchers -* ' of" water on their heads, arc. strangely familiar. They .are nlso very industrious, washing clothes in the'canal. .;"dyeing the nlnok cloth, which is the

universal . lomitunc colon-, wotivmg V baskets, wqrkine iir.tlio fields, grinding r j corn and gen*>rallr kooninsc tln'nes RoiD£. Many Xow Zealand ontbnsiasts . would get an awful slinck if they snw

tho irav they brine up babies here. Tljp poor little bliehters are not washed from the day thov are born until tlier arc twelve months old ;ind their frees are usually covered with flies. They -don't seem to niindf. but ove diseases - arid blindness are very common as a result J . TRAINING IX THE DESERT. . -Jannary llib. —Commenced battalion training. Carried out an attack on a Haeped enemy. f}ene»-nl Bird wood watched ii and had a short now-wow afterwards. When we not back we found .he. had sent the. Brigadier a very complimentary letter about it. Our are vow very good and, working '~ very indeed. Jantmry 13th.—Left camu at 6 p.m. tuid marched five miles by compass. landiDw 300 vsnds io the left of our objective. As are no landmarks of auv sort outside n mile, from camp it makes the onerntion very difficult. We started to dit in at 8 x).m.. and as the ground \rns flinty, had to work nil nipht. Tho- men' were very willing and the work was quite owl. Everylwvlv stood to nrms for an hour. January 16th.—Ahmn 12.30 r>. m. Jfarched by compass fiv-p miles. Very oloivlv and stars obscured. Landed. 300 vrnls to ti , * rieht of objective, a e>ninll ruin xipder tb«* shadow of a lone ridge- From there attafked " a ■portion two miJes aw.nv marked by „ three fines. • We only had the bearip<r and h'ld to time our arrivnl to assf"U- ---: and dig in.j'ist before dawn. The scout, made a gorvl shof. sis the le.ft of our line just, touched the Mt Pajr. tlie timing was just riiht. Got back to camp at 7 a.m.. hiring: Vvn on the move practirtillv r>ll tho tiny ,, . 'Ja'Miary ISth.—Had i> mobilisation t>a rl, de and were ir>in-x.ted by thn BH"padier. Afterward , ; had a vrv s»'terrstins; throucb »" Arab throuch cultivation and Inrce ditc-pnlm ' Rrove«. We had to mend roads nrd rennir ditclirs to iret onr transport over. in owe fflso having to fak*> <l ,n horses out and draj: the enrts by. hand. THE CALL TO THE CAXAL. I

January 2oth.— At 5 p.m. to-day we got orders, to go to the Suez Canal. It is a very sudden t-all. We leave

by: train at ■ 9 a.m. to-morrow, so we are to work all night getting /' ready for our departure. Only our brigade (infantry) are going at present. The mounted mea are carting our ammunition', etc. Our bootmakers are toiling at top. speed to-night effecting repairs on the boots, which are showing signs of tho hard usage of the. desert work. We are going by train and are taking 24 Jiours' rations with us to tide us over the long journey," The men are wildly delighted at tho idea of getting at close quarters with Turks, and bands »re playing all over the camp.