Diary of Apcar Leslie De Vine, 1915 - Part 2 of 7

5/2/15 Marched to the vally of
Despair, carried out 
two attacks on the hills, used
blank cartridges, back to camp at 
4 o/c. death in the 3^rd Bn 
  
6/2/15 Marched into the desert
5 hours, easy day,
washg day, mended clothes  

7/2/15 Sunday attended
church parade, went into
Cairo in afternoon
1^st reinforcements arrive tody

8/2/15 Hollidy all day, went
into Cairo from 10 am - 11 pm
Visited the Citadell & the
Tombs of the Caliphs, also the
city of the dead, saw
Napoleons fort  

9/2/15 Divisional guard
3^rd relief 2-4 & 8-10
quiet day 

10/2/15 Divisional Guard not
dismounted until 5 pm Guard
for 31 hours  

11/2/15 Marched out of camp for
5 days bivouac, revillee  5-30
vy long march, went direct into a
sham fight, dug trenches & occupied
them all night, brigadier watched
operations left trenches 6 o/c next
morng, continuous dig for 24 hrs
bread & food short, vy cold night, no
sleep, because of the cold 
12/2/15 Inspection by the brigadier at
8 am, made a speech, & complemented
the men on the work done yesterdy
the best in the brigade, rested
untill 4 pm.  In afternoon visited
the pyramids of Sakkara & the temple
of Pi & the temple of the sacred bulls
also another one - the temple of the bull
had 24 safarogai, these tombs the best
in Egypt, back to bivouac 4 pm 

13/2/15 Reville 4.30, perishing cold
had a fair nights sleep
got on march by daybreak = 6 o/c
marched to Saharah pyramids
to attack the 1^st 2^nd 3^rd Batts
who were out & entrenched all night 
took up positions at early morng
attack started at 11 o/c, was
detached as battle orderly to Capt
Sympson, vy hot tody absluly no
shade in the desert men feel heat
vy much, operations successfull,
back to bivouac at 3 o/c, anounced
nothg to do untill Mondy
Spent afternoon in lousing ourselves
evy man lousy by now, scarcity
of water, manged to get half
a dixy of water for a wash &
a shave, also a drop in my
water bottle, feel clean etc first
tme for 3 dys. 
  
14/2/15 Sunday No parades tody
not even a church parade
vy tired tody, went to sleep
all dy, told to be ready
for an all night march
at 9-30 pm hot tea served out
at 9 o/c, started on an all
night march at 9-30,
marched all night in silence
ready for a night attack
if the alarm came 

15/2/15 Marched untill
daybreak, & by a long circulous
rout found ourselves by the
ruins of one of the Shakkara
Pyramids where we had a sham
fight with the 3^d Batt &
drove them off, settled down
to some hot tea & bread &
butter, took up positions at
9 o/c for another fight, enemy
retreating towards the N, chased
them up & routed them out of
their position by 12 o/c, returned
to camp, rest for the
dy, untill march back to 
the camp tomorrow morng 

16/2/15 Marched back to camp
the whole of the 1^st Brgade
before leavg bivouac, all the
4 Batts drawn up in mass before
the Brigadier, who complimented
us on our work & said we
were ready for active service
& fit to go into the field.
Small pox breaks out in the
Brigade, warned by the Brigadier
to keep fit, all men in 4 Batt
to be vaccinated, was
vaccinated when returned to
camp, have been granted 3 days
holidy by the Brigadier on
account of our good
work the last 5 days, Sgt
Major Defres is the worst case
in the 4^th

17/2/15 Nothg to do all day
not even a muster parade
all ordered to be vaccinated.
was vaccinated on L arm, new
tunics served out, took it
to the regimental tailor &
had it altered for 10 pts,
washing day, 
  
18/2/15 No parades to day
pay day 130 pts, was given
a gift of 1 handkerchief
1 pr socks,  & 2 greybacks
sewed shirts tody 
  
19/2/15 Parade tody from 9 o/c
untill 1 o/c, compay drill
parade dismissed for the rst
of the dy at 1 o/c, rest in camp
the rest of the dy

20/2/15 No parade tody,
General leave granted from
2 o/c went into Cairo

21/2/15 Sunday Attended
church parade, went
into Cairo to hear band
of the Manchesters in the gardens
visited the skatg rnk. 
  
22/2/15 Route march to Gaza
& back at 1 o/c no
parade the rest of the dy 
attended lecture in YMCA on
Turky 
  
23/2/15 Route march to Ghazieh
& back at 1 o/c  letters
arrive from Australia got one from
Mr Grant & Mrs Greaves 
  
24/2/15 March to Hapy Vally
for outpost work. I dug
no trenches  was used as a scout
on the hills  back to camp
1-30

25/2/15 Holiday all dy leave to
go into Cairo, sent cable to Greaves
& Devitt cost 87 pts back to camp
at 11 o/c 
  
26/2/15 Field firg at Happy
Vally fired 7 shots did well
back 1 o/c, no parade the rest
of the dy, spend last ½ piastre, broke

27/2/15 Field firg at Happy Vally
fired 10 rounds did badly
back 12 o/c no parade rest of
dy. Lloyds tody, 3^rd Brigade under
orders, Lecture YMCA. Hypnotism, good

 28/2/15 Sunday Did not attend
church tody - Q M Fatigue
Dust-Storm tody - vy windy
3^rd Brigade leave tody for
unknown destination. 
  
11/3/15 Heavy dust storm this morng
camp covered in dust, vy short
parade tody, judgng distances &
aimg at disks, nothg to do rest of
the day

2/3/15 One hours drill tody, bayonet
exercise 8-30 - 9-30 rest all dy,
did washng & mendng, A.S.C Fatigue   ratons
meat & 20 lvs bread, attended lecture tonight in
Y.M.C.A on Damascus, mg

3/3/15 Twelve mile march tody alg
the Diriyah  road back 1 o/c
without packs, warned for warly guard
Mounted guard & dismissed 6 o/c warned
for guard  10 o/c went on & completed
guard 12-2 & 6-8 Pay day
130 pts 
  
4/3/15 Guard all dy, escourt for
orderly room, guard got no dinner
today, only had three slices of bread
tody, after guard had dismissed went
to brigade canteen & had three dinners
attended musical eveng at Y.M.C.A
in evenig, rumours,  goig awy on
Wednesdy. 
  
5/3/15 Parade 2 o/c for bivouac all
night, took w proof & 1 blanket,
all section went to the Sphynx to get
photographed, the whole division on
bivouac tonght, skirmished & fought
advanced guard action untill 12 o/c
midnight then bivouacked no blankets
given out, terribly cold, men walked
about all nght to keep feet warm
absoluley no sleep, my worst & coldest
night in Egypt, stood to arms at
daybreak as reserve 
  
6/3/15 Stood to arms at dawn
came back to camp at 7 o/c
no parade rest of the day, Issue of
bread stopped tody, biscuits only
sent parcell of curios to Mother

postage 9 pts

7/3/15 Sunday attended church
parade, issue of new boots
& puttees afterwards, leave granted to
go into Cairo untill 11 o/c,
heard band in the Ezbauer Gardens 
  
8/3/15 Received mothers parcel tody
with socks, gloves, & balaclava
cap, Mached to Happy Vally
for rapid firng, fired 8 shots
in 30 sec & passed test
Re issue of bread tody 
  
9/3/15 Revelle 6.30 tody
Field firing tody at Hapy
Vally, Third contgent arrived
tody

10/3/15 Revelle 4.30 tody, did
not march tody, 4 Batt for
divisional duty, was put on div
fatigue from 7 o/c untill 4 o/c
vy heavy & hot dy, weekly pay given
tody 65 pts, read letter from
Greaves & Edith, bed early
vy tired revelle tomorrow
3-30

11/3/15 Revelle 3-30 Breakfast 4
Fall in 4.30. Mess orderly
tody, marched into desert & dug
trenches untill 9-30, vy strong
wind storm started 9 o/c digging operations
had to stop, under orders to be ready
to march out in afternoon, dust storm
all dy worst storm we have had
no parade this afternoon owing to
storm went to bed early. Wrote to
Edith & Greaves 
12/3/15 Marched to trenches & dug
out sand blown in by yesterdays
sand storm returned camp 4 o/c 
left camp again 4.30 to occupy trenches
all night carried blanket, slept in
trenches all night, attacked 12 o/c night -
operations ceased 1.30, slept in trenches rest
of night
  
13/3/15 Left trenches 5 o/c, back
to camp first, warned for
Brigade headquarters guard at
4.30, nothg to do durng day,
mounted guard at 5 o/c 7-9
& 1-3 
  
14/3/15   Sunday   On guard all
dy at Headquarters, Brigader
awy in Cairo all day, vy
quiet day, peak caps issued
tody 
15/3/15 No parade durg dy, stood
to arms at 4.30 for a nght march
marched out at 5.30, full
Brigade & attacked the 2^nd Brigade
who were entrenched behind the
Pyramids, camped in front of Pyramids
untill 12 midnght, advanced