The day passed quietly in ordinary routine. The men’s Kit Bags arrived from Zeitoun and also a New Zealand mail which we were all very pleased to get. We heard that the aeroplane went out forty miles and reported that they could find no traces of the Turks. We are all wondering what this signifies. [...]
Our first Sunday in camp passed quietly and a number of visitors from Wanganui turned up to visit the camp. There was Brigade Church Parade in the morning and in the afternoon some company training.
Our second quota of men from Wanganui arrived during the day in charge of Lieut. Watson and formed a welcome addition to our strength. The Battalion paraded at 9am and was inspected by Col. Johnstone[sic] the Brigadier and then marched to the Golf Links for Regimental Training. The O.C. visited Capt. Cameron and found he [...]
Major W.H. Cunningham and Lieut F.K. Turnbull left Wanganui by the 7am. train and reported in camp at midday. They then learn’t of the misfortune which had over taken Capt. Cameron the previous day. They found plenty of work awaiting them in the way of organization which had to be tackled at once. S.M. B. [...]
Zeitoun Camp.
January 13th 1914 [sic]
Dear Colonel,
Having a free afternoon to-day I am starting to do that which should have been done before, write up the dairy [diary] of the doings of the Detachment of the 7th Wellington, West Coast, Regiment, serving with the Wellington Infantry Battalion in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (Main Body). Up [...]