Monday 18th November 1940

Found plenty of work to do all day, knocked off at 4:15p.m. and left enough to keep me busy for the first hour or so tomorrow – just like working in a civilian factory again! “Luxuries” I appreciate – beside the obvious ones of NAAFI, dursi and nappi- are : Water, in a tap – lots of it; the dustless, flyless atmosphere; the hard roads and hard sand in the Camp; the mess-hall – seats and tables with a roof and walls around them; and early morning tea. The chi-wallah comes around, with the familiar cry which we heard at Gedera, just after reveille. I have to attend parades, but am excused guards and similar duties.

So far as I can see this Camp is in a patch of barren country (I can't call it “desert”; the word “desert” means something quite different to me, now!). Some miles to the north there are rocky hills. There is nothing noticeable to south or east. In the west about two miles away, is a dark green belt of trees and vegetation – probably the Nile is there. Beyond the Nile, more sand and a couple of the pyramids.