They carry huge weights and, as you know, live for days without water and, if necessary, on very little It is very dificult to establish any definite fortified line in Egypt because of the barren and open terrain. It is possible to put up wire but, in these days of tanks, wire does not mean a great deal. Sand hills also can perhaps be made into temporary defence works but, in general, it must be almost impossible to construct a rigid line as can be done in trench warfare. Air warfare today therefore must be a very potent factor in the Success of operations in the desert, both from the point of view of obtaining early information of the enemy's movements and for the purpose of destroying their communications and supplies. We have every reason to believe that we shall be well served in this branch, Although, as I have said, fighting under these conditions does not become such an intense and devilish business as obtains in trench warfare, yet trials and discomforts of the personnel of an army in Near Eastern conditions are, if anything, worse than they would be in Europe. During the most intensive battles in France and Flanders we were almost always able to obtain full rations and water, even fresh food, but there were many occasions during my service in Egypt and Palestine when we were certainly short of food and perilously short of water. In our march that I have spoken of from Beersheba to Gaza I lost quite a number of horses through lack of water in spite of the constant thought and care given them. For instance, during one short rest period towards the end of out march, I was riding back along my column of gun-teams when I saw several drivers sponging out the nostrils of their horses with their handkerchiefs which, had been soaked {ror the dregs of their own water bottles. That is an incident only, but it shows the spirit of our troops under the worst conditions, especially when one knows that intense thirst, combined with fatigue, contribute to the lowering of one's morale.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.