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Through Palestine with the 20th Machine Gun Squadron by Unknown
page 10 of 169 (05%)
" 29th to Amr into camp, 1 mile south of railway.

It may here be mentioned that, at this time, the Kantara Military Railway
had been completed as far as Shellal, and whilst on the march, rations and
forage were drawn from "dumps" which had been placed at intervals along the
line. As regards drinking water, this was brought up every day on camels.
The supply of water was not too plentiful by any means, and it required a
certain amount of care and self-restraint to make it last the appointed
time, in fact, strict water-discipline was very necessary among all ranks.
It was a tired but wiser Squadron that arrived at Amr! Many were the
difficulties that had been overcome, and many the hardships that had been
silently endured!


THE SQUADRON AT AMR.

Having arrived at Amr, further progress was made in the training of the
unit. Each day one man was "told off" to three animals, the remainder thus
being free for work on the gun. The "horse-men" did one hour on the gun,
remainder of day on animals. "Gun-numbers" worked one hour at stables and
the remainder of the day on the gun. The daily routine was as
follows:--Reveille 04.30; Parades, 06.30 to 10.00 and 15.00 to 17.30.
Horses were watered twice (from troughs at the railway), and fed four times
a day.

As early as September 8th, there was a test "turn-out" of the Squadron in
full marching order, with guns on packs. The new regulations regarding
rations and forage included "Iron" and two days' emergency-rations (in
wallets) for the man, and one day's emergency-forage (9 lbs. of grain), in
a "sandbag" rolled in a ground-sheet and carried on the front arch of the
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