e were once more on the fringes of
civilisation: we could buy oranges in unlimited numbers, and also
fresh eggs--not the Egyptian variety, about the size of a pigeon's
egg, but real pukka hen's eggs. Water also was less scarce than it had
been, and we were well content with our lot. We were in Brigade
Reserve, which sounded very comfortable, but which was not so "cushy"
as it sounded. It meant that we had to do all the unloading of
supplies and ammunition at the supply depot and at the station, and
also find the very large guards which were absolutely necessary, as
the native was a diligent and skilful thief. The units in the outpost
line really had much less to do, though, of course, they had their
turns of night duty which we escaped.

Here we were joined by another brigade of our new division, and felt
that at last we were about to become like other people--organised in a
proper division.

This week, with its eggs and oranges, passed like a flash, and we once
more moved on; this time quite a short way beyond Railhead at
Deir-el-Belah, where we camped quite close to our compatriots the 52nd
Division. After one night and a good bathe we took over, on 7th April,
from the 54th Division a sector of trenches near Sheikh Nebhan,
overlooking the hollow through which meandered the Wadi Ghuzzeh. This
wadi--like all others in this part--is quite dry except during the
storms of winter, but water could usually be got by sinking wells in
the bed of the wadi at about ten or twelve feet down. Our cavalry by
day and infantry by night held a line out beyond the wadi, covering
the work of those who were sinking wells, making ramps for guns and
transport crossings, and laying the water-pipe line. This line was to
be carried to the cisterns of Um Gerrar, where it would come in very
useful during the further operations for which we were preparing. It
is rather wonderful to think that this water was carried with us by
pipe line all the way from the Canal, and was actually Nile water
brought to Kantara by the Sweetwater Canal.

The banks of the Wadi Ghuzzeh were almost everywhere precipitous, and
anything from ten to twenty feet high. All these had to be ramped, and
during the period of preparation some thirty such crossings were made
between Tel-el-Jemmi and the sea, and each unit was allotted its
crossing for the coming advance. During these days of preparation our
Battalion dug a strong line of trenches dominating the crossings of
th