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We bathed before breakfast this morning. Kit inspections etc. took up the morning, we also had an officers’ “pow wow” with the colonel about various things. A flock of about thirty pelicans flew over camp this morning, but quite high up.

We had to ride over to another general “pow wow” this afternoon by the G.O.C divisional artillery. The authorities are very annoyed at the gutting of that canteen the other night and as a result the three artillery brigades this side of the canal (ourselves, the 1/3rd and 1/4th) have got CB until further notice, so not much chance of leave until they find out the culprits.

Very early – again – and I had all the work and everything finished by eleven o’clock, before it got really hot. Bathed at midday and thoroughly enjoyed it.

A mail came in after lunch, but I heard nothing from home. I heard from Cecil Ellis ; he is still a fixture in India and seems to think they will be there for some time.

Bathed again about three. The divisional band came and played again this evening. There seems to be some excitement about the burning of that canteen last night. The native says he had 150 [pounds] in cash there, so somebody has done well. I don’t think any of our men are responsible – probably the brigade next to us.

Orderly dog today. Rode out to the guns this morning and was there most of the morning. Had our usual bathe at midday.

The major got back from Cairo this afternoon and had thoroughly enjoyed it, climbing the Pyramids etc.

We had a tremendous blaze this evening. There is a fairly large wooden canteen shed here run by several natives, and apparently they’d been charging exorbitant prices for very moderate stuff. Anyhow, some of the men fired it this evening, and by jove it did burn, stores and all!

Church parade at nine o’clock, stables at 10am. I had a lovely bathe at midday.

This afternoon Franklyn and I went out for a ride, and took revolvers in the hope of getting a shot at something. He fired at two old hoodies on the ground but missed. We went through a lot of scrub and marshy ground, saw a few snipe and kingfishers, also some shrikes and redstarts and countless wagtails – which are very common here and very tame. We saw some very funny bird – I’ve noticed them before flying just above the water down the canal – they are black and white, about the size of a woodpecker and have got a long beak. They hover in the air over the water like hawks. I hoped we might see a jackal, but they say they are more common further down.

An enormous liner of sorts has just gone down the canal, with the decks very brilliantly lighted up.

I have just heard a Zep. has been brought down during the last raid in England. It is great news.

Not much doing today except stables and exercise etc. Bathed about midday. In the evening we had a great football match, the left section v. the right. I was playing for the left section and we won by one goal to nil after a very exciting tussle.

A very quiet day. I had a lovely bathe about twelve o’clock. A topping mail came in this afternoon, which kept me busy for a long time. This evening about five of us got hold of a dilapidated old rowing boat and had a row on the canal. It ended in a rag and we all got rather wet.

News came in this evening that General Townshend has had to surrender at Kut-al-Amara in Mesopotamia. I’m afraid it’s bound to have a very bad effect on morale.

Nothing doing today apart except the ordinary routine of stables etc. It will get pretty monotonous if the Turks don’t give us some more excitement soon. I had a topping bathe at midday. A fairly stiff breeze been following all day.

Gun drill from six till eight. I had an early lunch and went off with seven wagons to fetch over all the woodwork from the ammunition dugout at our old camp.

A large quantity of tinned food has been stolen from a Field Force Canteen near our line, so all the tents had to be searched tonight. Pretty certain to be one of the Scotch regiments I should think.

I went over to our old camp this morning and saw to the rest of the stuff coming over. We got back and bathed about midday. A very hot wind all the morning and the heat strikes up off the sand very fiercely. A lecture this afternoon by the G.O.C divisional artillery. A mail came in this afternoon – I had lots of news.

Things were quiet here again now the Turks have retreated right back across the desert, probably to Beersheba where they are thought to have come from, or possibly El Arish. The Anzacs occupied Katia, or rather what is left of it. This afternoon thousands of camels have been going out there all day with stores and ammunition. Our casualties in the last day or two have been over six hundred, and the Turks very considerably less. It is certainly one up for them, and their attack was without question wonderfully organised and carried out, as they must have come over more than 100 miles of desert.

I expect there is sure to be questions asked as to why we had yeomanry regiments out at Katia unsupported by guns or infantry. They told us we were to go there once but then said water was too scarce. Anyhow, if we had been there we should certainly have been scuppered, as the Turks completely surrounded the place at night and attached in the early morning.

Not a wildly exciting day; I was busy all the morning and afternoon with two beams and G.S wagons, and I got the list of our supplies over to our own men’s camp. We had a bathe at midday and rigged up a high dive with some old barrels, about eleven feet high.

Jeans rode over to see the remnant of the Worcester Yeomanry today, they have only got 1 officer and 36 men left out of the whole regiment. They say they were completely surprised and outnumbered; the officer’s report from divisional headquarters tonight says that the Turks were about four thousand strong, inclusive of one thousand Germans. They had a good many guns and four Fokker aeroplanes with them. I shouldn’t be surprised if this stops us going to France for some time, if not indefinitely.