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I’ll be unable to look him up.
Back in our village just in time to get in on a blanket parade, our highly esteemed? Q.M. S. being’ considerate enough to dish out one blanket per man.. Well, that may be enough to keep some fellows warm-- in fact the poor infantry haven’t even one in the summer, but not this child, so I hied me over to Mavor’s wagon, and gloramed onto me bundle, in which, besides personal kit, held two blankets and a British warmer, the latter formerly belonging to the kid, but after his downfall, passing into my clutches, I gave my extra blanket to Jimmy Bark, he only having the one, Flopped on the straw about 9 o’clock, immensely cheered up by the news that we had a longer trek on our hands for the morrow. Fine news from the Italian front that night.
Up •frith the larks at 5. 501had took ’em over and loaded them on the wagon, then beat it for the cook house, there to join the happy? throng whose chief occupation seemed to be grousing at the small breakfast. Oh, yes, I did my ©hare too,
E)f course you’ve never done any route marching, but even at that I think you’ll agree with me that one slice of bread and a small piece of bacon at 6 o'clock in the morning is hardly the., square meal a man should have who has to maroh till noon, before he "monges" again.
•However, grousing or no grousing, that’s all we got.
Just before the “fall in" flew, the welcome news came along that our packs were to be carried, the Q.C, having visited the supply column the previous evening and obtained the use of a lorry.
It was a mighty good job he did too, for if we had had to tote our packs there*& have been very few of us left at the end of the day.
Moved off at 7,30 I being fortunate enough to be in the front section of fours;. Stopping for a five minutes rest every half hour, we wended our weary wa$ through no less than seven villages and one large town. Never felt more tired in all my life, that’s when we halted for dinner, after covering 17 kilometres. Rested for' an hour and a half, then started off again, bucked up considerably by a good dinner. About this time the fellow© with sore feet started to drop out. For a wonder mind, outside of a burning sensation on the soles, didn't bother me. In the course of our afternoon’s jaunt, we passed through eight villages, three of them being ones we visited on our march up from the Somme in ’l6. Can't say I was sorry when after completing our 35th kilometre for the day, w© arrived in a fine clean town, which we had been informed was to be our resting place for a few days. Any suoh hopes were dashed to the ground, when an Imperial A.D.M.S, informed our O.C. -- who by the way foot slogged it all the way-- before we were marched to our billet, that we’d only be there for the night. He sure did take ell the joy out of life, that blightea Was too tired to walk into town, so shortly after supper Sam end I made our bed and flopped. Wasn’t many minutes either before we were dead to the world. Was it any wonder?
Reveille at 6, breakfast 7» and on the road again by 8, started off the day in fine style. This time 26 of A section set off
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