Tuesday We were allowed out last night till 12 midnight, we took a walk to the town Petworth a place of about 2,000 set out on return journey at 8:30 this am stopping at N.C. [Northchapel] for lunch getting back to camp at 5:30 We just got back into camp tonight when an electric storm burst over — what luck
At the back of his diary, Percy added the following note:
In ref to our route march I have not much to say the weather was perfect we went to Petworth about 15 to 18 miles from camp & 12 miles [from the Surrey/Sussex border] in the county of Sussex, we were fortunate when we got back for we had only been in about 20 minutes when a very heavy electric storm burst we passed the 51st Bty about 3 miles out I guess they got the full benifit [sic] of the storm
The War Diary says that all batteries of the 13th Brigade took this route march, to “practice march discipline & routine.” (1)
The photograph from Percy’s small album is labelled “The Bivouac at Petworth.”
(1) War Diary of the Fifth Canadian Divisional Artillery. Vol. 4 (May 1917): 4. May 29, 1917. Library and Archives of Canada.
Percy's War 