Item 01: William Burrell diary, 20 December 1915-12 November 1916 - Page 61

[Page 61]

had a fair time pricing things & knocking down prices which is great fun : bought a couple of strings of beads : got home about 9.30 & went to sleep : Tom came back from hospital & looks very well : he had good tucker there but says it was very monotonous. He says Vic & Mas were very downhearted when he left them.

Thursday Feb 10th
fine clear day : very warm during day : nights & mornings still very cold : Revellie 6am : platoon drill : breakfast : company drill under Isaacs & a long sit down. I am mess orderly today : dinner : Route march round Tetoun & was not too bad as we had two good drums near us. we came back through Heliopolis : tea : wrote letters then bed.

Friday Feb 11th
fine clear day : weather is still cold morning & night but getting very hot during the day & the days are drawing out : daylight about 6am : Revellie 5am : told to pack our kit & fall in in marching order : breakfast : fell in & issued with 100 rounds of ammunition each & rations for twenty four hours (1lb bread & I tin salmon each) then we marched off & ended up at one of the Egyptian barracks (Ablassich). We were then detailed off for guard one hour on & five off. All my mates & myself were on the main gate & it was amusing stopping the natives. We commenced guard at 8.30am. I done 10 to 11am : 4 to 5pm : 10 to 11pm. The night was very cold & we had to lay on a concrete floor