satisfactory. In dry weather
all went well, but when it rained the communications were invariably
cut.

A spell of very bad weather now broke, and for three days it rained
continuously and very heavily. The narrow gauge railway was flooded and
ceased to be of any service until after the New Year. On the broad gauge
line, the railway crossing over the Wadi Ghuzzeh was washed away, as was
also a bridge over the Wadi Hesi between Gaza and Deir Sineid, and from
Deir Sineid onwards the line was flooded. Thus for three days the whole
country north of Gaza was cut off. Fortunately large dumps of foodstuffs
had been formed at Deir Sineid and Ramleh, and by means of camel
transport, for every other means of transport broke down at one time or
other, we were able to be fed.

Christmas Day was miserably wet, and owing to the conditions we were
lucky to get a full ration of bully and biscuits for our Christmas
dinner. Mails were out of the question until the railway was in full
working order, and after all it was probably better to have a complete
ration than a dilapidated and rain-soaked parcel, which might or might
not contain food. We managed to get about L11 worth of canteen stores
from the Brigade, not very much to go round the Battalion, but rather a
feat considering the adverse conditions.

The Divisional Christmas Card was a memo dealing with the scheme of
defence and the digging of a permanent line. This foretold much labour
for us in the near future, but as we did not hear of it at once it did
not disturb our festivities.

On 26th December the weather cleared, but from now onwards it was always
bitterly cold. Nothing will persuade those who have not been in the East
that we were not continually luxuriating in the rays of a blazing sun
and that the skies were always cloudless. The months of December,
January and February, spent under the doubtful shelter of two waterproof
(?) sheets, would disillusion them; and it is a very serious question
whether they would apply the term "luxuriating" to the weather in May,
June, and July.

There is very little to be said about our sojourn in this part. A draft
of 107 arrived on the 26th December, and the companies which had been
organised into two platoons since the fight for the ridge at the Wadi
Hesi, expanded again into four platoons. On the 28th we heard the plans
of a proposed raid, but that was postponed, and finally cancelled
altogether the next day. On the 30th we commenc