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[Page 3]
Moascar Egypt
17/3/16
Carried out in the morning a battalion attack practice carrying it as far as the phase preliminary to the assault. Excellent work very finely carried out by the men who are now trained up to a high standard. Operated over an uninteresting piece of desert between a railway line and the canal. Upon the latter were sailing craft with full mast and in the absence of breeze being hauled on towlines by niggers ashore.
The Naficha station buildings for the natives are of the usual barrack type neatly built but the Egyptian by his habit of putting manure lumber and fowls upon roofs has detracted rather from the appearance of these places. The afternoon parade was spent checking kits and repacking bags and placing them at head of lines ready for removal. We are now ready to move at an hours notice. We sail tomorrow night or perhaps Sunday morning – our favourite day. We left Melbne on Sunday, landed at Gallipoli and evacuated there on Sunday and our intermediate ships have also come upon Sunday frequently.
At 1200 I managed to get rid of 8 wasters and transferred them to Details as undesirables much to their indignation. Roth left today for Pioneer Battalion. H. Smith is to be C.O. 6th Bde Training Battalion. Issued orders no man was to have long hair cropped up the sides and not longer than ¼ inch on top – an epidemic of barbering at once set in! My friend Pte "Jerry" Bernnau is back again after having been boarded for return to Australia.
Have had my cabin trunk all day and have been diving in among belongings that have been stored away for sometime. We have not had a mess since being here and have been living on the same as the men feeding in our tents. Most uncomfortable as the tent is a dilapidated one and sand keeps coming in. A good many of the railway carriages have a large Red Crescent painted on a white background and also the roofs marked similarly – a Geneva protection against aeroplanes.
Ambergris cigarettes last night gave a Caviene odour to the tent reminiscent of past hours of dalliance and pleasure.
Quiet preparation and bustle. Formerly we'd have been excited, but now regard going to the front as mere nuisance.