It had no immediate strategic bearing on the attack against Suez, however.
From six in the morning till seven at night we were hard at it, except for one hour's rest at noon.

While we had money, it was possible to get some slight relief by bribing our taskmasters; but this soon came to an end, and we had to endure their brutality as best we could.

The wheelbarrows we used were the property of a French company which, before the war, was undertaking a highway to Beirut.

No grease was provided for the wheels, so that there was a maddening squeaking and squealing in addition to the difficulty of pushing the barrows.

One day I suggested to an inspection officer that if the wheels were not greased the axles would be burned out.