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 322
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[Page 322]
from time to time. As the men were marched back & struck the main road the mud became less & less till at last one would not mind it at all. Marching continued till reaching the neighbourhood of Albert, where the men entrained for Buire but after having gone just one mile, a block occurred & every one had to leave the train & walked till their destination was reached
Arriving there the "billet" was found to be a sort of a barn all battered broken & leaky with mud upon the earth floor inches deep. However being very tired & very weary any place was good enough for a rest, & stretching one's oilsheet & unrolling his blanket he slept very soundly till morning.
About a fortnight was spent here & another at an almost similar place, St Vaast, etc, but where the accommodation if any thing was worse.
The Routine work in a billet is Reveille at 6, Parade for physical drill, back to breakfast. 9 oclock Drill, Mostly ordinary common close order drill till 12.30
Back to dinner From two till 4.30 or 5 pm Route March, but all drills & Route Marches are performed at all times with full packs. In addition to these drills etc, men have to be found for Fatigue parties, Guards etc.
The one idea for these continuous drills & Routemarches with packs is said to be, to dicipline the men & keep them fit & well & to always find them something to do to keep them out of mischief. That was the object! But if it was so necessary to keep them fit & well which was laudable, & prevent them going to forbidden places, which was very fatherly, it should apply with equal force to the officers themselves.
Surely as regards exercise if the officers are to keep up with the men in a night march, or in a charge, they should go through