during the last days of January and the first days of February. [Sidenote: _Canal Defences_] The Division now formed part of the 9th Corps, commanded by Lieut.-General Sir Julian Byng, whose Headquarters were at Suez. Soon after the arrival of the Division the command of the 9th Corps passed to Lieut.-General Sir Francis Davies, and Brig.-General V. A. Ormsby succeeded Brig.-General G. S. Elliott in command of the 127th Brigade. The Division was now equipped for the first time with _pukka_ first-line transport vehicles, and the field-kitchens were a much-appreciated novelty. The advance-parties at Shallufa had had their fill of hard work, for the stores had to be taken across the Canal and man-handled up the steep banks. For a short period in the early morning and late evening the Canal could be crossed by a pontoon bridge built by the Australians, but during the greater part of the day the crossing had to be made by means of a stage hauled across by a chain which lay on the bed of the Canal. This stage often carried a motley collection of troops, natives, camels, and stores, and the hauling was heavy work, which, at a later period, was relegated to Field Punishment prisoners from the Divisional Compound. The Engineers who were in this region in the winter of 1914-1915 found that little had changed. There had been insignificant enemy raids, and no new works of importance had been carried out. At Kubri the swing-bridge, made of lighters fifteen months previously by Major Wells—to last a few months, according to his instructions—was still working, and as the chesses wore out they were covered with filled sandbags, so that the progress of animal traffic over the bridge partook of the nature of a steeplechase. The Divisional Band paid a series of visits to the units, and it was surely the first time that these sandhills had echoed with waltz music and the airs of musical comedy. On such occasions the troops made quite a happy picture, for the strain of Gallipoli had almost worn off, and the men, now bronzed to a ripe saddle-colour, danced and laughed and sang, and a more cheerful and contented set of fellows could hardly be imagined.