NEWS FROM EGYPT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2407, 12 March 1915, Page 6

NEWS FROM EGYPT

INSPECTING THE MEN'S KIT.

An interesting resume of a day's work of an officer attached to the Headquarters Staff of the New Zealand forces in Egypt is contained in a' letter received in Auckland. Incidentally, the writer mentions' the revelations attending an.inspection of the men's kit.

"There is ample work out here," he says! "This morning, for instance. I made out across the desert with the brigadier of the infantry brigade, and the brigade major to inspect the Auckland Battalion, which had gone out to a place about five miles from camp. We got to their rendezvous at. mid-day, and at once started the work of inspection. This consisted of examining the men's kit, to see that tliey were properly equipped and were carrying the regulation articles in the packs on their backs. The articles in question consist of a great-coat folded so that it will fit into the valise, canteen or mess-tin used for cooking, spare pair of locks, woollen jersey. Balaclava cap, towel, soap and shaving-kit—quite a •lot to carry on,one's back, isn't it? In the haversack there are the knife, fork, and spoon. .

"Each man also had to show that he was. in possession iof his pay-book and identity disc. He wears the latter on a string round his neck like a charm. I noticed that some of the men had odd threepenny pieces also strung on and these, no' doubt, were more valued by them. Also in the pocket of the paybook there! was generally'a photograph of 'the girl they left' behind them.' My part of the work was to get odd men here and there to unpack their goods and see that they had everything complete. • It would almost -have brought tears to the eyes of some of those dear, kind-hearted friends we have in New Zealand to see the. little trinkets which oame'to' light in most of the kits, and also to see the ; ragged fringe of a towel or stump of a' hairbrush being carefully treasured. Surely no man has fewer possessions or none more carefulk guarded than a soldier on active service. . /

"As a rule, we do not get back to camp for lunch after , one of these inspections until between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. The rest of the afternoon is spent in looking after odd jobs about camp, and answering official correspondence, etc. Then in the .evening the programme of the next'day's work, has to be gone through. For meals we are well provided, for at present. A number of officers have adopted the nlan of hiring a cook and running their own mess and sharing the expense. This plan has been found to work very well. Our menu- at present does not suggest the hardships of war, but it costs me just about all I get in pay here."