d home, after having had almost unbroken active service
with the battalion since September, 1914.

About the middle of July a fairly large column of Turks began to make
their way across the desert from El Arish, intending to strike once more
for the possession of the Suez Canal. They moved with surprising
rapidity and wonderful concealment, and some excitement was caused when
a large enemy force was located by air reconnaissance, so near as
Oghratina Hod, within five miles of Romani, then held by the 52nd
Division. A battle seemed imminent, and this at the worst possible time
in the Egyptian year. A Brigade of the 53rd Division, consisting of
Royal Welsh Fusiliers and Herefords, spent a night at Hill 70 on their
way to occupy a defensive line between Romani and Mahamadiyeh on the
coast. There was an obvious increase in aerial activity on both sides,
and camel and other traffic on the Romani road became more feverish.

On July 23rd, the 7th Lancashire Fusiliers relieved the battalion in all
the posts and we marched back to Hill 40, where we found the whole
brigade was concentrating. There was much to be done in equipping the
men, and teaching them the correct method of carrying their belongings
on "Mobile Column," for that was what we were destined to become. The
equipment was worn in the usual "fighting kit" manner, with the
haversack on the back and under the haversack the drill tunic, folded in
four. This also served as a pad to protect the spine from the sun. Near
Hill 40 there was a large patch of hard sand which the Scottish Horse,
who were in the neighbourhood, had converted into a football pitch.
Small wonder then that we challenged the owners to a game, and a great
game it was. The Scotsmen had an unbeaten record in Egypt, which they
maintained, but only after a ding-dong game which the battalion never
forgot.

The next day the Brigade marched forward and made camp at Gilban, about
3-1/2 miles N.E. of Hill 70. An indefinite stay was to be made here, and
defensive precautions were taken, a ring of posts being placed all round
the camp. It was soon found that the principal difficulty was that of
patrolling by night from post to post. On a desert such as this there
were no landmarks of any sort, and as a belt of wire such as we had been
used to at Hill 70 had not been placed between the posts it was by no
means easy to preserve the right direction. As we had reached a
scrub-covered desert, however, this difficult