6.1.1916 ISEBEGUES: Battn less Regimental Transport entrained 10.41 pm at BERGUETTE STATION.

War Diary [WO/95/2694]

We entrained early in January, and our accommodation for that journey through France was the acme of comfortable travel (in reverse) forty of us packed into covered vans, the journey took two and a half days, you could not get a pillow, and if any man required toilet when the train was on the move, he somehow proceeded to the sliding door, and there you have nature in the raw.

On our journey we stopped the train for about an hour every six or seven hours, for a stretch and refreshments, which I can assure you was a very welcome break. It was very beautiful scenery, and all along the track south of Lyons the plate layers working on the lines were working in trousers only, the weather was warm and sunny, and such a difference to the weather in Northern France, in fact the trenches although in the same Country seemed a long way off now.

[2305 Pte Frank Longson]