A bitterly cold morning, I spent this morning on guard. The Royal Artillery men who are doing a
twenty four hour check on the road which passes us are fortunate in only
working two hours on followed by four hours off. They thus have a chance to recover the heat
lost in the two hours on.
This week’s static is much less boring than was last week’s as there
is an almost continuous flow of traffic on the road & pavement. My friend and I chat to the soldier who is
checking pedestrians’ passes as they enter the zone. Occasionally he meets with an obstical (sic) for with his “muckers” he knows
next to nothing of the Arabic language, we are then able to sort out the
trouble for him.
One of my friends took quite seriously a comment I made at dinner to
the effect that he sponsored a trip to the cinema for my guard friend & I. He producing the necessary money was
surprising and very pleasing for with the greater number of chaps in camp I
have for a change reached the stage of being “broke.”
.JPG) |
| (He mentioned Mules - I can't resist posting this one again...) |
The plans I had made for this morning had all to be cancelled when
workmen arrived to distemper the barrack room.
They did the walls and the ceiling and the greater part of the floor
with a pleasant yellow wash. It took us
the rest of the morning to remove that portion on the floor and windows. The doors have been painted green and
although bare of any wall adornments the room is now looking at least
respectable.
I was working the evening shift today from 2pm to 10pm with a break for dinner. After
this break I went into the actual buildings of the Socony Vacuum for the first
time. I also entered the stables where
21 mules are housed. I had a long and
interesting chat with the Groom who was very pleased to find an Englishman who
could speak Arabic. He has been on night-work for about ten years so probably has not spoken to
