Wednesday 3rd March 1915
A cold sharp night followed by a characteristic Egyptian day. We moved out punctually to time. Each man carried 12 rounds Blank Ammtn. Pack horses 8 rds per man. Our Regiment was last in the Brigade. We marched by road to the ground in rear of Abbassia Barracks about an hour and a half’s march. Here the troops of the division not comprised in the Advance Guard assembled. At 10 a.m. we started to move to a fresh place of assembly about three to four miles distant. The route was across undulating stony ground. We marched continuously for an hour and three quarters, up hill most of the time, and across patches of sand. The men were carrying their full packs and soon began to fall out. Being the last Company of the last Regiment in the Brigade we got all the worst of the going and were practically at the double the whole time. At 12 o’clock there was a halt of an hour or so for dinner. Officers and section commanders had a look at the position to be attacked. At 1.15 p.m. the advance began. Auckland and Canterbury Regiments of our Brigade going in to the attack, Otago and Wellington following in Reserve. We advanced up to within 1400 yards of the position and when we were on the point of deploying to go in the Stand fast sounded. We were working with the Australian troops in our Division but being in reserve saw little of them. The men marched back to Camp while mounted officers proceeded to the position for the G.O.C’s conference. This lasted about an hour. The Stand fast sounded at 4.30 p.m. Units came home independently reaching camp at 7.30 p.m. where a late tea awaited them. On the way home the G.O.C Division stopped and congratulated Capt Cameron who was in charge on the excellent way in which the Company was marching, especially in view of the extremely heavy day which they had put in. It was about an eight miles march back to camp, but despite their great fatigue the men came back in good spirits. It was voted absolutely the most strenuous day the Regiment had had since its arrival in Egypt. 24 of our Company fell out on the line of march, while another Company had 22. Other Regiments suffered quite as much as our own. The men must have covered quite 18 to 20 miles during the day.
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