15th & 16th March, 1948 - A damp journey back from Sarafand to a scene of disarray...

Monday, 15^th March, 1948

A shower of rain opened this morning of my leaving hospital.  I put on my badly creased uniform, had my breakfast and bid adieus to my new friends.

First thing on leaving the ward was to hand in all the clothes issued to me by the hospital.  Then with the others going out today I went to the reception room outside the OC’s office to await our parting interview.  The Colonel just asked me if I had any pains now to which I answered in the negative, then he gave me a discharge certificate.  We now all went to the camps reception office to await transport back to Jerusalem.  This transport eventually arrived in the form of two open three ton lorries.  It was now raining lightly and we were told it was the brigadier’s orders that the trucks be open.  We set off getting gradually wetter then the rain poured down and we put in at a nearby army camp and put a cover on before proceeding.  The journey was very tiring & boring.

In warmer weather the open back
of a truck was not so bad!

Tuesday, 16^th March, 1948

What a place to come back to, it is perpetually cold and the barrack rooms are always damp.

There have been a number of changes in staff since I left.  The sergeant who was so put out at my untimely illness has gone to take charge of the reception camp in England.  Another sergeant was released from close arrest yesterday for being drunk on duty.  Another sergeant is going to the Bahamas as an A.S.P.

Two B/Cs a few days ago stole 13 T.M.C.s from the armoury loading them onto an Arab truck parked outside the wire and absconding with it.  The armourer & the tower guard are both under close arrest as a result.

This morning I woke to find a layer of four inches of snow outside.  It is bitterly cold inside the room as I write this.  My feet are feeling as though they are frozen stiff.  I am not looking forward to getting back on static points again.  Roll on the summer & the boat.  My Gratuity works out to be just over £100.