17 to 21 May 1915 - Training programme steps up & the horses arrive

In the week commencing 17 May, the training appears from the War Diary entries to have been stepped up a notch. The Monday morning commenced with a muster parade at 8.45 am, and presumably the week's programme was outlined to the men. Over the next five days, the weather was generally miserable, but the men were lectured on the use of the Ross rifle and, when possible, worked on several fatigues. On Tuesday, a few men from each of Nos 5 and 6 Companies - perhaps NCOs - were sent for musketry training on the rifle ranges, which were located on the beaches near Hythe.

In addition, the horses which were to form the backbone of the transport fleet of the 2nd Div Train, and become an important part of the soldiers' everyday lives, began to arrive on Tuesday. The War Diary notes: "40 Draft & 24 Riding horses taken on Strength; good type."