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[Page 39]
There used to be a fair bit of wagering over these scores between the officers & men but towards the last they barred us, the Colonel complimented us on our shooting more than once, we would have been even better if Len had been with us then.
After all this came our Brigade & Divisional training which was the easiest of all though we had some long & trying marches some of them nearly 20 miles with full equipment & pack up, but we were hard as nails by this time, we finished our Brigade training at Sakahara, where we had a march of 15 miles, a short spell, then attacked a hill about 2 miles in front of us, that over we retired on to our original position, & for the rest of the night dug trenches in hard
rock, all this time we were without food or water, that was a test if you like but the boys done it easily.
The next day we done nothing, but lay in the sun, or else go bathing, that night however we marched from 8. oclock till daybreak, when the whole Brigade 4000 men attacked a hill with the bayonet, I marched many a mile that night sound asleep, my legs moved mechanically, for I don't remember much of the march, & there were a good few more who done the same, that over we marched back miles & miles over the sand back to our camp, & everyone threw themselves down & went to sleep through sheer exhaustion, it was a very severe test, & the next day the Brigadeir formed the whole Brigade up & in a speech told