TCD MS 10821 folio 3 recto
[May 30th 1916] miles we had to walk through tents & huts. It was an impressive sight, this vast camp on the sand dunes stretching for miles in every direction, but in a wind it must be terribly dusty. I hoped we were going to learn something new on the training ground, but instead found captains as well as subalterns treated as privates & made to do squad drill & bayonet fighting as such. We were drilled by N.C.Os & second lieutenants very badly. I was rather amused as for the last year I had been training 800 men & 15 to 20 officers every day myself, & to find myself as one of the men <was rather a reverse of fortune>. I was enabled to see things more from their point of view. I objected however to the language of the N.C.O’s towards officers & the way & the way we were generally treated. This lasted till 1.30 pm & we were then marched back to camp which took about an hour. At 3.30 pm there was a lecture but officers that had been out were excused. There was we found an officers Club at Etaples & so we went there for dinner. It was quite a comfortable place & we had an excellent meal there, very different from the food in the mess.
May 31st. A hot summers day. Had to parade at 7.45 am & march off to the training camp ground. This time they took some trouble to sort us out, thanks to the