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puttees continued for several months. He finally received two pairs and said they were much envied. His sock collection, he added, was the pride of the Battalion.
A fortune-teller was visited in Cairo and apparently she quelled my fears, by telling him that he would return safely to Australia, marry and raise a family.
Another interesting point was that he reported hearing that their troopship, the S.S. Port Lincoln...had got it in the neck about a fortnight after we left her, but don't know for certain.
He added that in January he was finally able to have a hot bath - the first since I left Sydney.
In late January he was moved once more to somewhere in Egypt and the letters were now strictly censored. Food, of course, was a major concern:
We are getting bully-beef and biscuits now and the first day I broke one of my teeth on them.
Another move was made to somewhere in Egypt, with intensified training, involving long desert marches with full packs up.
The last letters from Egypt were from camp at Tel-el-Kebir in March. Dust-storms were a problem and training was harder. Water restrictions were imposed with each soldier allowed only ...half a pint per day, so you can imagine how much we have to spare for other than drinking purposes.
By mid-March, Alan was able to announce that we are off to France sailing to Marseilles. He warned Nell that letters might not be frequent for the next few months.
"A" Company, 4th Battalion sailed to France on the Troopship Simla, having left behind several men who had wandered off to purchase some fruit. A submarine guard escorted them and life-belts had to be worn continuously.
Alan mentioned at this point that he would send his diary home to Nell, but, unfortunately, it has not been found.
By 4th April, 1916, France was reached and the company travelled north by train, marvelling at the scenery.
The Rhone valley being the prettiest of all...it's a grand country and we both must come and see it later on.
The journey took 61 hours, and was very crowded and Alan had little sleep. They were then marched approximately 12 miles, close to the firing line and can hear the continuous roar of the big guns night and day. They were billeted on a nearby farm in a big barn with plenty of straw. It was bitterly cold and an extra blanket was issued.
He noticed that all able-bodied men were in uniform and that the farm-work was done by both the very old and the very young. He also commented that:
.....the kiddies here are real characters, and most of them can speak English as well as we do. As a matter of fact, better, as they do not add adjectives to it.
Alan's next billet was in the village of Staples, [possibly Etaples] and he sent several postcards of the town back to Nell. Close by, the noise of battle continued and aeroplanes were often seen in combat.
By 20th April, Alan was once more on the march, and closer to battle:
....our guns are going off all around us. You can hear the shells whistle overhead. The German guns reply and shells fall everywhere.
He was now classified as a Grenadier (or Bomber) in the 4th Battalion. He mentioned that so many villages they passed were in utter ruin.
Page 46 Timespan No 27, June 1987