WITH THE TROOPS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 166, 29 May 1940, Page 3

WITH THE TROOPS

when summer comes in egypt (N.Z.E.F. Special Service) EGYPT, May sth. Following Ihe summer custom of English troops stationed in Egypt, the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force has now adopted a new routine which provides for relaxation in the warmest part of the day. Reveille, at half-past five in the morning, is half an hour earlier than previously. Tea :ancl biscuits—a snack which the Army knows as ''"gunfire" ■ —are provided immediately and train ing begins at six o'clock or shortly' afterwards, continuing until eight, when breakfast is served. Training is resumed at nine o'clock and is -carried on itintil midday. After lunch there is an hour's complete and compulsory rest, and the remainder of the afternoon is free for sports or relaxation. There is a further hour of training immediately before tea, however, and "Lights Oat™ is sounded ball' an liour earlier. Late leave is being granted only on Friday and SaUir-' day nights, instead of all through the week as has been the practice in the past, in, view of the importance of the troops obtaining as much undisturbed rest as possible. Variation in Routine, The new routine varies slightly in the different units, but basically it is universal throughout the camp. I,t may be relaxed if cool temperatures so allow, and may also be adjusted to suit the "requirements of out-of-camp exercises. On Sundays the force continues j its practice of luxuriously "lying in" until seven o'clock in the morning Although still a novelty, the routine has been accepted enthusiastic ally by the men. After the temperate climate of New Zealand early afternoons in Egypt are uncomfortably hot for training, and the comparative cool of the mornings is far more pleasant for the heaviest part of the work. Lighter Clothing. Discomfort from the heat ha? been minimised in another direction by the adoption of hot-wea-ther kit for both training and leav? hours. Each man has been issued with three light, half-sleeved khaki shirts, two pairs" of drill shorts, hose tops, puttees and light ~ ,; u«der-> Wear. The combination of shirt * and shorts is the universal dress for wear about the camp, while in leave periods the drill jacket and waist belt replace the open shirt. Still another innovation is the issue to all ranks of voluminous mos Quito nets, which can be suspended from cords slretched across the tent ceilings, completely enclosing the beds. It is in warding off flies that the netting is proving most useful at the moment, and the early afternoon siesta sees tents prac-j tically filled with the white, .billowing drapes.