5th - 7th September, 1947 - Poultry rustling and a whirlwind...

Friday, 5^th September, 1947

A case of theft reported this morning.  The Tubas village school poultry house was broken into & 33 chickens and 2 hens stolen.  I went out to the case.  After investigations we drank coffee with Sgt Ahmad in his house.

Saturday, 6^th September, 1947

A case of trespass reported this morning

I received some snaps from the photographers in Nablus.

Sunday, 7^th September, 1947

Starting at 7am this morning Sgt Ahmad, Ryan, Roughton & I went down to the Ghore by the rough route.  On the way we visited the scene of the trespass yesterday.  Nothing extraordinary or out of the ordinary happened today except that I experienced my first whirlwind.  I was in a tent and first the light became dull with a breeze then the storm hit and everyone had to hold onto the tent ropes to keep it down.  2 minutes and it was over and the dust had settled.

21st - 24th July, 1947 - Ron's suffering from the wind... ('twas ever thus!) and more trouble with knives.

Monday, 21^st July, 1947

The Kamseen [1] which has been blowing dropped a little today but the heat is still pretty bad.

I have not met the heat I was expecting to encounter from the tales I had been told before I came here.

This may be because I have become more or less acclimatized.

Tuesday, 22^nd July, 1947

Nothing of interest occurred on this day.

Wednesday, 23^rd July, 1947

All the five foot went out again this evening on a volunteer ambush patrol.  Nothing occurred I rather think because the moonlight was too bright for flights.

Thursday, 24^th July, 1947

A rather petty but complicated assault was reported this morning.  A man, the complainant, complained to his partner that the latters cattle had been allowed to stray on ground they mutually owned.  The argument was not heated but the partner reported the incident to two of his friends who thought retribution should be made.  These then went to the Comp. & assaulted him with sticks & a dagger.  The case no matter how slight the injuries are has to be accepted as a dagger was involved.

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[1] The Kamseen or Khamsin  is an oppressively hot, southerly wind from the Sahara that blows across Egypt in the spring.  I am indebted to Jim Wright for the use of his striking photograph above.  Visit his blog The LeftWright Brain for more pictures of this amazing meteorological phenomenon.

17th -19th May, 1947 - Ron's not enjoying the hot weather or the flies

Saturday, 17^th May, 1947

I was not called on for duty by the S.P. today so I had to spend the time reading in the recreation room.

It was very hot today as it has been for the last two days as a result of the Kamseen wind.

Khamsin Wind, carrying sand and smothering the landscape...
Special thanks to Jim Wright for permission to use this phorotgraph.

Sunday, 18^th May, 1947

Hot and stuffy this morning I was awakened not by a sergeant shouting H.O.P. or an alarm bell but by the damned flies crawling over my face.  I did not think it necessary to put up my net before.

“Bull shit” was the order of the day before the Quarterly inspection.  As I am on gate guard from 6pm – 9pm & 12 midnight to 3am, I hope to get off it.

Monday, 19^th May, 1947

On the Gate Guards my duty is to take up my position in the Sanger at the gate to inspect any vehicles arriving at the gate before letting them enter or if civilian refusing them entry.

The constant watch carried out by the T.A.C. should also be carried out by the B.C. but it is frequently interrupted with the usage of an improvised seat in the Sanger.

The duty is rather dull & the rest of the day one feels very tired as owing to the heat it is almost impossible to sleep.