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[Page 11]
The next few days were spent in drill, route marches & general training until the morning of the 14th February 1916 when the reinforcement was lined up & told we were being transferred to the 3rd Battalion & to get ready to move off that afternoon. This news came as a very great shock to all our boys for we fully expected to join the 18th Battalion, but however the boys took it for the best, so the camp was soon very busy for tents had to be struck, rolled up & stacked in a heap, the lines to be cleaned up & gear got ready to move off when required. The reinforcement fell in at 2 PM loaded up with all our gear & moved off marching to Zeitium railway station. We had a considerable wait for the train & when it arrived found it consisted of about fourty open trucks, thirty men being detailed to each truck & they with their gear left very little spare room it being a case of taking turn in sitting down. it was very cold during the journey for although the days are extremely hot in Egypt the nights get very cold, & with a fairly strong breeze blowing made the traveling in the open trucks very unpleasant all being pleased when the joy ride was over. After a few hours ride we disentrained at Tel-el-Kebir about 8 PM where we were met by officers & guided to the 3rd Battalion parade ground where after a roll call we were detailed to Companies myself being allotted to "A" Company. When this was completed we were shown to our company's lines, there not being sufficient tent accommodation for us so we had to bivouac in the open for the night & were pleased when daylight came. The next morning the Battalion was formed up being inspected then started on squad & section drill which of course was very monotonous for we had done nothing else since enlisting. our parade ground was the old battlefield of the Soudan War the trenches which were used then are still to be seen. They are not like the trenches of today for instead of being dug into the ground, the earth is built up in mounds or breastworks about eight feet high & the mounds are neither connected or in line but just formed here & there is the best positions available. Practically the whole of the Australian Units were camp at Tel-el-Kebir the camp stretching for miles along the railway line through the desert. It was also here that our Fourth & Fifth Australian Divisions were formed mostly from 50% of the old first, four brigade the remained by reinforcements who were in Egypt at the time. Things went along very quiet; with the same old drill each day until the 21st of February when the Battalion was taken out for an all day route march passing through the village of Tel-el-Kebir. It is only a very small village but a very filthy place, the stench being enough to kill a mule & the natives themselves are of a very low class. On the outskirts of the village we passed some very big orchards & orange groves for oranges are grown in abundance throughout Egypt & as a rule are generally sold very cheaply & the boys made good use of the fruit whenever it could be bought. After passing the orchards we went out into the desert again & after marching about two miles came to a halt, where after a spell we were put through rifle shooting practice lasting for a couple of hours. When every man had completed his shooting the Battalion was lined up & after a long march arrived back in camp at dusk. On the 25th February the Battalion was taken right out into the desert for training in advancing & retiring in artillery formation also extended order drill these only being suitable for open warfare condition. When the necessary morning inspection was over on the 28th February the battalion was taken out for more shooting & by this time we were beginning to get used to the service life. The nights in this camp were like fairy land for the troops used to congregate outside the camp & for miles could be seen hundreds of candle lights. These lights were used for all means of gambling from the Australian national game of two up to