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Date: May 1917
Diary

May 1

Fine weather ever since first of pass, wrote letters in evening

May 2

Bombing all day, soft jobs, nothing to do in evening

May 3

Bombing all day, on mobilization duty

May 4

Finished bombing today, wore steel helmets, used live bombs, received letter from Halliwell, Wales

May 5

Got pack ready for mobilization march of 4 days, night march to put out fire, about 6 miles march back, in camp at 1:00 a.m., tired and dirty

May 6

Mess orderly, tired from last night, laid down in sun and rested, fell in for mobilization scheme with packs on at noon, finished at 2:30 p.m.

May 7

Started on MG course, Vickers gun, 205th draft arrived at 12:00 p.m., all old pals with them

May 8

More study, drill, etc., fine whether, draft put in quarantine

May 9

MG drill and work, lecture on typhoid fever and inoculation

May 10

Piquet tonight at Crewsborough, some of the old 205th in the 164th came into the depot, Duke of Connaught inspected the camp

May 11

gun drill and daily routine of work

May 12

Route march and rested all afternoon

May 13

Harry Lauder sang in YMCA, went into woods and wrote letters to U.S.A.

May 14

Routine work in morning, pictures over at YMCA

May 15

Paid today, moving pictures at YMCA, raining, started sleeping on boards again

May 16

Walked to Crewsborough in evening, weight 147lb, couldn't get films developed as all stores were closed, H. Cox sent money to Imperial Tobacco Co. in Montreal

May 17

Piquet at night, raining hard, Burgess dying of pneumonia

May 18

Routine work, put in for a pass, no Canadian mail since left Canada except one written three days after leaving

May 19

Down to Brighton, on midnight, with John Sparham, met him at camp gate, fine time, along promenade, had ice cream and bananas, the city is a great summer resort

May 20

John came back to camp with me, he left in afternoon, took pictures, rained all night, Burgess dying of plural pneumonia in Trune Wells

May 21

Dad's birthday, 54 years, took pictures to get developed, rained hard all day

May 22

Played ball in evening, wrote letter home

May 23

Firing MG on ranges, band concert in YMCA, got bank book back from London, warned for orderly room

May 24

Drill in morning, sports in afternoon, Sergeant House carried off nearly all honours, fine weather

May 25

Routine work, ball game in evening, no electric lights in hut for remainder of summer, got pictures, lovely

May 26

route march, very hot, slept all afternoon, cold shower bath, big air raid on England over Folkstone and Dover, no mail from Canada yet

May 27

Church parade in morning, heard fine lecture in YMCA by an American, no more squad drill in morning from now on

May 28

Practice in setting gun for overhead fire and indirect fire, half holiday, bank holiday, stoney broke

May 29

Firing on ranges today, 400 yards, rained hard, nearly starved, not getting much to eat today

May 30

Paid today, Kirkpatrick is drunk, discovered that I had body lice on me, put coal oil on myself

May 31

Routine work, walked down to Crowborough and brought Cline and Ptolmy home