This afternoon we went down to the mobile bath unit for a hot shower, and as the dust storm had gone down it was very much needed and welcome. This part of Egypt is new to me but you may have seen in papers that another N.Z. unit has had manoeuvres here. It is good working on and around the water and getting a swim. We see a terrible lot of shipping passing up and down. Of course I can't tell you exactly where I am.

I guess many are losing a lot of sleep and their tempers these days [in NZ]. For myself, although the fall of Singapore is a bad blow, I feel that the whole situation could very easy be changed almost over night in our favour by a U.S. naval victory in the Pacific. In Europe this summer should see us on top for Britain has had a fairly easy time through Russian campaign to reequip.