Wednesday 7th May 1941

Went to the exchange for the dawn shift, at 4:45a.m. this morning. Quite a good, though battered book was in the dug-out. A ”human” story of northern people losing jobs and finding them, falling in love and going to London as though it was a great adventure – and very rightly! I don't know the books name and the first 28 pages are missing, but I pieced it together as I read – it was a very simple story.

Pleasant hours of candle light, but at last it was daylight and I heard my “comrades” (!) gradually awake and ever since they began to stir there have been loud arguments and shoutings and wranglings just outside. Ye gods!