Wet again, awful day. CO’s inspection of Bks [Barracks]. Quiet day.

Wet day & we can’t do much at all. Quiet day.

Fine day. Nothing much doing. Whist drive at night & we have a very good party, Band to play & everything all serene.

Fine day. We have a very good time. Troops dinner at 1.0 pm. General & Col [Colonel] go round. Sgts [Sergeants Mess]  Dinner at 6.0 pm. Gen & Col come along also several other officers. I keep the menu as a souvenir. Very good time. Finish up about 1.0 am. *

*this menu is in the Dorset History Centre with the Beck Diaries. D-1820/1/16

Fine day but dull. Very busy preparing for Xmas. Rehearsal of concert in the morning. Concert at night which went off very well.

Wet miserable day. Leave Lille at 9.0 am Miserable journey roads very bad. Arrive Mons 2.15 pm. Leave again about 3.0 pm arrive Val [Valenciennes] at 5.0 pm & fed up.

Fine morning party leaves at 8.0 am but don’t get going until about 10.30 am. Roads very bad. Arrive St Omer at 12.45, stop for lunch at E.T.C. very good. Leave again at 2.0 pm good journey to Lille arrive about 7.0 pm, get a room at Hotel l’Universal, very good.

Fine morning some rain later. We arrive at Boulogne 8.45 am very good run, meet Mr. Cocking & have a nice chat. Breakfast, wash & brush up the shop. Get as many things as possible & arrange to come back on one of our Corps lorries tomorrow. Bed 8.45 pm fine sleep, very tired.

Fine day very cold. Training in the morning. Tug of War in the afternoon, our team beat D or W [Duke of Wellington Regiment] 2 pulls to 1. I leave for Boulogne by Box Car at 5.0 pm very cold. Arrive Hedain 11.45 pm, rest there until 7.0 am very cold & miserable.

Showery day. Training in the morning. We play RAMC in the afternoon & lose 1-0. I don’t see the game as I go to St Saulve for witness on Ct Martial [Court Martial] Sgt Milledge. We get away with it, very glad.