Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 13]
[29th Nov. contd]
account of its working will follow later.
We were quartered in a concrete floored building at rear & during the afternoon we put thro' 500 men, which was entirely satisfactory.
Thursday 30th [Nov]
Pay to day. For the first time our Pay books were marked "Paid in the Field" £1-8-8 (we were paid 40 francs)
Met Norman Siddens of Lhardt [Leichardt] He is in 4th Div and had just returned from the Somme this morning.
The Divisional baths were closed all day to square up and prepare for working them in earnest. Reinforcements arrived for us this morning as it was found impossible to run the show properly under 60 men.
Just here it is interesting to note how the civilian population still carry on with their work notwithstanding guns machine guns shells star shells can make a noise as if only a few hundred yds away. They are only about 3 miles off and there is a battery of artillery in an adjacent field that rattles all our windows frequently.
Cannot emphasise the shocking need for fresh water in these parts. It is almost impossible to obtain and the tea we drink is always flavoured with alum (used for clarifying)