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[Page 22]
17th Jan The Officers Mess was commenced and an effort made to make it very good with every kind of luxury. Troops continually passing in trains which can be seen from the camp. Parcels which were sent to men now wounded, killed, or sick are distributed.
18th O.C. Company Captn.Ross too drunk to remember what happened.
19th Nothing of importance happened.
20th Battalion route march over the desert.
21st Nothing of importance happened.
22nd Went to Cairo on duty. Left by 10.12 train. Spent the whole time shopping. Visited the National Hotel. Returned 6.15
23rd Orders received to move to Ismalia. Struck tents at 5.30 p.m. General Holmes had dinner with us. Entrained 1a.m. 24th.
24th Travelled down in open trucks. Arrived at Molaska just as it was getting light. Molaska is about one mile from Ismalia. We commenced a very trying march on the desert, it rained and we could not reach our destination had to pitch tents enroute.
26th The Officers Mess was opened in record time. The wind became strong and some of the tents were blown down. Marched out towards Australia Hill. We soon came to the end of the made road. The rest of the route lay over the desert. Stones were being carried by the camels to make the road. Long streams of these camels appearing at intervals on the crest of a hill. We at length arrived at Pinch Gut Gully in an exhausted condition, to add to our discomfort it commenced to rain and the camels carrying the tents had lost their way. The camels at length arrived and a number of tents were pitched in the dark.
27th Our camp is situated on a slight rise in the desert. There is no vegetation to be seen anywhere. The canal and lake are just in view from Australia Hill which is close by. In places a kind of hard white clay can be dug up out of the sand. The roads are made from this. In places there are tufts of course grass which the camels appear to like. The camels, of which there are a large number, carry a load of five mounds equal to 400pounds, some carry more than this. The Officers stove was brought by one camel, which also had another box on the other side to balance it. It took 8 men to lift the camel up. Once on its feet it carried it five miles. The long swinging stride of the camel takes along at a pace of about 5 miles an hour.