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Sohag
30 April, 1916 Sunday
Hopped out as usual.
Nothing doing today at all, horses went out as usual to the palms & the sigs carried on Sig school as usual; played cricket in the early part of the afternoon & then at four oclock went over to Achmin crossed the Nile by ferry & after negioting about 5 miles of fair road reached Achmin to find just one huge native villiage we visited the curio store but could not get down on anything, their vineyards & orange groves are very fine, set out for home at 6 & encountered thousands of rats along the road, they were in the stone walls, got down at the wharf to find ferry mifish so organised a rat hunt had a great time & got 7 of the brutes, lost my revolver somewhere during the process & reported it, got home a little after 7 to find a heap of stuff to go out, got it done & had tea.
Bed 10.35
1 May, 1916 Monday
81 wks from home
Revielle as usual
Day lovely & cool & I regained my revolver it was found where I was rat hunting. The C O & I are off to Assiut tomorrow to try out our lines of communications, we expect to catch the 6 oclock train in the morning.
Played cricket all day & put up a fine game, picked up sides & we managed to win as usual.
Rumors are afloat that we are off any day now somewhere down the canal a journey of 600 miles, it is said that Gen Ryrie fell in the last scrap & we also suffered 177 casualties. Mail came in today I got one from Nell, she was at home & having a splendid time. Roy got his first bar also & is now on the first rung.
Gen Townsend surrenders at Kut today to a superior force.