station feeling a bit peeved to think that I was the owner of an unused return half ticket and was prepared for a minor confrontation but to my surprise the bus company offered me, without the slightest murmur, half the cost of the original fare. The Military Police allowed me to go back into my hotel to collect my belongings; I bought some Christmas cards that had pressed flowers inside labelled Flowers from the Holy Land and then with Louis I returned to No.2 Base Workshops. Now that the war with Japan was over the steady homeward flow began of those British civilians who had been their prisoners. Some were to pass through our area. Our work was tending to wind down and thinking mainly of the children one workshop was turned over to the manufacture of toys; these were fairly simple ones generally in wood and although we didn't have exactly a production line going we certainly made large quantities and lots of wheeled ducks were painted by me. PAINTING THE DUCKS The other main sights to see long before the creation of the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser were Luxor, Thebes and Karnak and together with Jock Grey I went to Cairo and booked up a trip at the YMCA. Our train companions were an American, Howard Sorrel and an ATS girl whose name now eludes me. We stayed at the Hotel de Famille in Luxor on an upper floor. In the afternoon, hearing an unusual sound of human voices we looked out of the window and saw a procession approaching at a jog trot; this was an Arab funeral and the women were wailing. The coffin was carried shoulder high by six or eight bearers who changed places frequently, it was open topped but covered with a green baize cloth and the occupant was having a rough ride, bouncing around in keeping with the jog trot. Later we were given an extensive tour around the antiquities of Luxor and Karnak; then crossing the river by dhow and going overland by estate car we reached Thebes and The Valley of the Kings. There we toured several tombs including that of King Tutankhamen. THE VISIT TO LUXOR, KARNAK AND THEBES. NOVEMBER 1945 A small boy approached us surreptitiously and in return for a few piastres offered to show us a mummified head; this was strictly illegal of course but we paid and took some photographs. Our guide took us back to his house and showed us some of the antiques he had acquired; he gave us all mint tea and then brought out more modern items for sale. I bought two small alabaster vases, others bought mementoes also but one lad after asking the price of a particular object started to haggle not realising that in his own house the guide felt obliged to sell for the lower price. Seeing the look of consternation on his face we tumbled to his dilemma and made up the difference on later purchases.