At Kantara a draft from England with 2nd-Lt. G. Norbury in command
joined the battalion. A pleasing feature about this draft was that it
was largely composed of old members of the original 7th who had been
wounded or invalided from Gallipoli, such men as C.S.M. Lyth, Sergeant
McHugh, Q.M.S's. Andrews and Houghton, being amongst its numbers.
The 42nd Division crossed the Suez Canal for the last time on February
5th, twelve months to the day after the 7th Manchesters had crossed over
to the east side at Shallufa for the first time. The first days march
ended at El Ferdan, very much to the relief of everyone. We had been,
all the way, on a good hard road--a new experience after the life on the
desert--and this brought into play muscles of the leg, not used on the
soft sand. Everyone suffered badly from aching shins and thighs and
very sore feet, so that next day, when the trek was completed to
Ismailia on hot, dusty roads many men fell out, and we were a weary crew
on arrival at Moascar Camp.
Our three weeks' stay here was occupied chiefly in preparing for our new
scene of activities, now definitely known to be France. Eastern kit was
handed in--helmets, shorts and drill tunics--and the battalion seemed to
have been exchanged for a new one dressed in khaki serge and caps. With
our helmets we lost our flashes, or at least the characteristic Fleur de
Lys, but they were replaced by a divisional flash to be worn on the
upper arm of the sleeve of the jacket.
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