head the men are concluding a concert with
the 'King,' the 'Marseillaise' (I wonder do they appreciate that
here it was first sung in its grandeur under Rouget de Lisle), and
then with what should be our national song, 'Rule Britannia.' Well
might they sing that with zest after the voyage we have concluded
to-day."

After standing out in the harbour at Marseilles for 24 hours, we first
set foot in France on March 10th. No time was wasted at Marseilles, and
we were soon entrained for a long journey northward. In the first hours
before dark we were able to enjoy the magnificent scenery of the coast
region near Marseilles. At Orange we halted for a meal at midnight. Next
day was a glorious journey up the Rhone Valley, passing through Lyons,
Chalons-sur-Saone and Dijon. Wherever the train stopped crowds of
enthusiastic French people collected to greet us and the news of the
fall of Bagdad made us doubly important to them, for not only were we
British but they knew we had come from somewhere in the East.

The following morning we arrived at the environs of Paris, and after a
stay at Juvissy continued our journey past Versailles and on through
Amiens to our destination at Pont Remy, a few miles from Abbeville. It
was pitch dark and raining. Imagine the shock to troops straight from
Egypt, where they had left a beautiful dry climate, when they jumped out
of the carriages into four inches of squelching mud. Then we were told
we had to march six or seven miles through the cold rain to our
billeting area at Merelissart. However, we were amongst new surroundings
and new modes of doing things, and conditions were vastly different from
those we had just left, so the sooner we became accustomed to them the
better.

Despite the midnight hour everyone found subject for fun in the French
barns and shippons which were to be our temporary homes. Lt. Hodge and
Lt. Taylor who had worked hard allotting the billets for us joined the
battalion here. Lt. Sievewright had rejoined us at Alexandria on the
boat, he having been invalided to England from Gallipoli. Lt. G. Harris
left to take charge of a Divisional Bombing School, and ended his
service with the battalion, although later he became the Brigade
Intelligence Officer, when we saw a good deal of him again.

After three days the battalion moved back to Liercourt and there the
work of refitting commenced. We had much to learn about organisation and
methods of warf