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thought rapidly for a bit & realized that to refuse would only put his back up & stop me getting any assistance from him in the future, especially as he couldn't get another man at that late hour & even if I did refuse, he would most probably order me to go - Further, I had always wanted to get to know Adjutant's work, & here was a chance to learn quite a lot & when I had learnt it (probably in a month or 6 weeks) I could apply for a transfer back to Sandling & anyhow it was better than doing nothing.

On the other hand, it rather looked as though I should miss the Cambridge Staff Course, though even if I stayed at Sandling, I might not get it. Also as Shoreham is in another Division it might help me to get the Course by applying through the new Bn. Well, anyway I decided to accept it. I then had to go off & see the new Colonel, with whom I had dinner, then back to Bde for lists of men going & for particulars, which I didn't get till 9.45 owing to notification of an air raid which kept the Bde busy attending to all the necessary precautions. Then I tried to get my batman to help me pack, but he had gone to bed, so leaving a message for him to call me at 3 am, I did a bit of packing, cleared up some correspondence , & abt 12 went to bed. The moment I got into bed it seemed I was awakened by my servant saying it was 3 am. It was of course pitch dark, but cursing horrible, I got up & with his help finished packing, had breakfast which I had arranged the night before, & went off to the station, where I took over several hundred men & met some of the other officers also joining.

There were 3 trains running from Sandling & Shornecliffe to Shoreham taking the men & officers of the 2 new Bns. Well after a very cold weary journey we arrived at Shoreham abt 8.30 & got up to the Camp at 9.30. An advanced Party had arranged for a meal for the men's breakfast & we officers went to the 147th Bn for breakfast (They were a rotten lot, many French

BC Archives, MS-0089, Box 1, File 4 GLASSFORD, Deborah Florence (Leighton). Vancouver Correspondence inward, 1916