Sunday 8th September 1940

We moved yesterday, early in the afternoon, to a position about 3 kilos back. Rather better. More sand, less stone and some dirty scrub bushes. We parked M1 and K at a corner of these scrub bushes, which thus made both a windbreak and camouflage. Dug a 5 foot deep slit trench.

Made myself snug last night, the hedge on the north side and banks of sand to the west. I also fixed a “scrounged” box beside my berth, to serve as a cupboard. I like this sort of life and would be quite contented if I were fit. Free and easy days of roughing it. No polishing of brass work or kit stacking. (I left a good deal of my kit in the “cupboard” all day, having camouflaged it with scrub.) We dug a grease pit about 20 yards away to leeward, for slops etc. Naden, Hall and I sleep by the “cupboard”. Full lemonade bottles are buried nearby in the sand, empties are “camouflaged” beneath stones. (We had some stores sent up from the nearest NAAFI, five miles away.) We've been digging all day today. Slit trenches. When the main party arrives this will be a wagon lines.

Bathing parade this morning. They didn't let us go more than waist deep in the water!