Brewster 'A Glimpse of War through a Private's Eyes', a retrospective account of experiences in World War I, 1915-1917 / John James Brewster - Page 47
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[Page 47]
that a Route March was looked forward to with pleasure, even although under fire of orders to "Keep the head up", "Keep your distance & interval etc etc even when marching "at ease".
For about three weeks the work of the Rioters was rendered more arduous by being marched, – after returning to Camp with the Company after the afternoon drill – straight back into the desert for an hours drill (extra),. This was deemed part of the disciplinary training but to the "rotter" this sort of thing was really not much use for whenever he felt disinclined to go out he would commit an offense that would land him in the "Guard Tent" or "Clink" as it is called where he would lazily recline till called up to Orderly Room for trial. The "rotter" can put up with many days detention in "Clink" without feeling any very great qualms of concience. What he always did & always will object to is hard work or strenuous physical exertion.
After this period of three weeks the "Rioters" were considered to be so improved in drill & dicipline as to be then only subjected to similar treatment to that of the other members of the Company.
They were then issued with the regulation drill uniform worn in Egypt in lieu of the Australian one which always made them so glaringly conspicuous that any officer could easily pick them out for any real or fictitious fault. When the whole Company was attired alike it was with the greatest pleasure that the Rioters would frequently hear the officers have to say to some of the older Company men, I should'nt have expected that of you! till at last it became so common that soon such remarks were stopped.
Of course when a "Rioter" happened to "fall in" it was natural to expect Oh I thought so! from the officer.
To men coming from Liverpool where at least three months were taken up in all the Elementary close order drill & given an insight into the