Saturday 25th April 1942

This morning I realised another luxury which is enjoyed by sergeants – You do not stack your kit! Just roll up your bed and later put the blankets out in the sun!
It is unfamiliar yet pleasant to be called “Sarn't” dozens of times a day. I never did like “Bombardier.” Corporal – ah yes! But not bombardier.

Jack told me a typical Chenery tale today. He's a pretty steady drinker but dislikes being fooled by the crowd. Well, it seems that at Qassassin they played a fatuous game called Cardinal Puff one night in the mess. The victim has to perform a series of idiotic gestures in a certain sequence. Each time he makes a mistake his glass is drained and refilled. as time goes on, he becomes more fuddled and his efforts weaker until complete oblivion is attained. Jack was to be the stooge on this occasion but he stubbornly refused all pleas and demands, saying stiffly - “No part of a sergeant's duty to maintain discredited superstitions.”

The general reception of this was somewhat hostile, so he quitted the mess and went to the guard room with some beer. I was on guard that night. He'd had quite a few drinks and so entertained us all with snatches of Greek, Latin and French!