Click here for diary entry for Sunday 25th January – Friday 30th January 1942

Saturday January 31st

300th Day

Same parades – routine march.  Sports during afternoon.  Wrote.  Early to bed.  Sent Marg photos & stamps.

Sunday February 1st

301st Day

Cleared everything out of tent then saturated floor – to make hard.  Church parade.  “Kiwi” Concert Party arrived during afternoon.  Slept & wrote for rest of day.

Monday February 2nd

302nd Day

Usual parade in morning.  Parades cancelled during afternoon because of sand storm.  Saw “Kiwi” concert at night – great show but rather windy raising clouds of sand.  Impersonation of girl(?) wonderful.  Programme much the same as when I saw it back at El Alamein.  Few new artists.

Tuesday February 3rd

303rd Day

Battalion parade – weapon training – practice pack during afternoon in preparation of big manoeuvre next morning.  Went to concert again at night – came away at half time to write home.

Wednesday February 4th

304th Day

Revielle at 5.30AM.  A company representing 23rd battalion ??? at 7 o’clock and taken down to ???.  A.L.C took us to Princess Marguerite.  Four ships in manoeuvre –  Glen Gyle – St. Essylt – Derwent – Princess Marguerite.  Slipped cable at 11AM & headed through Bitter Lake to Canal – us leading.  Reached cutting at 2AM.  Along cutting & on both sides big concrete posts with cables reaching across canal to other side – at night big rope nets are drawn across cutting to catch any bombs dropped by planes.  Bow got caught on one cable breaking free before it could be freed.  Arrived at Suez end of cutting at 4.30PM then steamed down Red Sea for a 2 hours.  Anchoring for night.  Very stuffy sleeping below.  Food aboard 100% better to dreary rations.

Click here for diary entry for Thursday 5th February – Tuesday 10th February 1942