WHEN the Division sailed for Greece, twenty-eight chaplains were with their units in the crowded ships. The minor problems of Base had been left behind, and it was hoped that the wide experience of a campaign would help the Department to evolve a harmonious and efficient routine, but the campaigns in Greece and Crete were too short and disjointed for many lessons to be learned. The great distances in Greece gave little scope for co-ordination or close contact, in spite of the efforts and constant travelling of Bishop Gerard, while the close fighting in Crete again made the chaplains' work difficult. But they learned much as individuals. They endured their baptism of fire, they tested their equipment and began to learn their place in battle, with its routine of constant visiting, the care of the wounded, and the conducting of burials.

The beautiful ruins in Greece and the many historic place-names aroused wide interest amongst the men, and the chaplains were kept busy answering questions. But there was little time for sightseeing or historical study as the Division had to make defence lines on two widely separated fronts. Unit Church parades became rare. If a chaplain wanted to hold a service he had to set off across country to visit small, isolated groups. Sometimes it would be a service with a battery or a company, more often with a troop or a platoon, and sometimes with an even smaller group. The Division had a large area to hold and this entailed much travelling for the chaplains.