pint per man! Officers and N.C.O's. sadly but vigorously emphasised the
extreme urgency of preserving the water supply. Some resorted to drastic
action and insisted that no man should drink at all without first
obtaining permission of his officer, and on the day's business I am
inclined to think that these officers obtained the best results. The
Brigadier came to tell us we had done magnificently, but he said we
should have a worse day to-day; water was to be had at Katia--when we
got there. The men were also warned that it would probably be of little
use to drop out, in fact it might be extremely dangerous, for the
chances of being picked up were rather slight.

The cheery soul of the British Tommy, however, is proof against all
things, and he started out on this day's trip in the same spirit with
which he tackled all jobs during the war: "It has to be done, so do your
best and put the best face on it." The Fleur de Lys led out the Brigade
and trudged steadily through the soft sand in artillery formation. The
6th gradually got up into a position on our right, while the 5th and 8th
followed in support. The march forward proceeded monotonously in the
increasing heat, the men becoming more and more taciturn as the sun's
power gathered. Allowance of course had to be made for the weariness of
the men and the heavy going. Then a halt was called and we waited for an
hour. It appeared that the L.F's., who formed the left of the 42nd
Divisional front, had been rather late in starting, and it was necessary
to wait for them. Then the forward movement commenced again, and after
some time another long halt was necessary. Our men were now in a great
hollow in the sand in which there was not a breath of wind, and the sun
now at the height of its fury beat down mercilessly.

There is little doubt that this lying unprotected in the heat simply
sapped our energy, and everyone wished that we could have pushed on