We marched from Essex into Suffolk along the gritty dusty roads in blazing sunshine and at the day’s end down a long hill into Ipswich town. We probably looked very romantic in our dusty khaki with sunshields on our caps and full packs upon our backs! As the band struck up the “Hundred Pipers”, our regimental march, thousands of citizens who lined the sidewalks began to cheer and wave like mad, but strangely, it seemed to me then, not fully understanding, many women had tears on their cheeks.