Item 01: Eric Susman war diary, 1 January 1915-4 April 1916 - Page 124
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[Page 124]
Saturday 10 April 1915
After the Company commanders had given a short lecture on various subjects concerning troops in the Field, we indulged in a short route march around about Heliopolis. Our training in the desert has, thank the Lord, come to a conclusion and it is now just a matter of keeping in form. And the little work we are getting now is enabling us to keep fit and at the same time removed the temptation of going to Cairo. For if we lay in our tents – well we wouldn't! Half the regiment would probably be in town.
Much to the disgust of all ranks, we were not granted even the usual Saturday half-holiday. The "Fall in" sounded as normal, and we were marched out to our old friend "The Desert", and there we went through the well-known musketry exercises several times, listened to the non-commissioned officers' boring lectures on musketry subjects such as Judging Distance, The Theory of Rifle Fire. And after this dull afternoon, we said "Good-bye" to the Desert, for the last time we all hope. Carriages which are rather like sheep trucks.