5-inch,
500--6-inch and 75--9.2-inch. It will be quite impossible to continue to
send you ammunition at this rate, as we have reduced the supply to
France in order to send what we have to you, and the amounts asked for
in the second part of your telegram could not be spared without stopping
all operations in France. This, of course, is out of the question."

"This, of course, is out of the question." "Stopping all operations in
France" is the very kernel of the question. If half the things we hear
about the Bosche forces and our own are half true, we have no prospect
of dealing any decisive blow in the West till next spring. And an
indecisive blow is worse than no blow. But we can _hold on_ there till
all's blue. Now H.E. is offensive and shrapnel is defensive. I ought to
attack at once; French mustn't. Therefore, we should be given, _now_,
dollops of H.E.

This talk does not come through my hat. Some of the best brains on the
Western field are in touch with those of some of my following here. The
winning post stares us in the face; my old Chief gallops off the course;
how can I resist calling out? And then I get this "of course" cable (not
written by K. I feel sure) which shows, if it shows anything, that "of
course" we ought never to have come here at all! Simple, is it not? In
war all is simple--that's why it's so complex. Never mind; my cable has
not been wasted. We reckon the 1,100 extra rounds it has produced may
save us 100 British casualties.

Rode over to "K" Beach and inspected the 25th Casualty Clearing Station,
Commandant Lieutenant-Colonel Mackenzie. Walked through the different
hospital wards talking to some twenty officers and two hundred men;
mostly medical cases. Did not think things at all up to the mark. Made
special note of the lack of mosquito nets, beds, pyjamas and other
comforts. For weeks past Jean has been toiling to get mosquito nets
bought and made up, which was simple, and to get them out to us, which
seems impossible. Too bad when so much money is being spent to see men
lying on the ground in their thick cord breeches in this sweltering
heat, a prey to flies and mosquitoes.

Discussing the landing of the New Divisions in Suvla Bay and the
diversion to be made by Legge on the right by storming Lone Pine,
Birdwood makes it clear in a letter just to hand, that he has told his
two Divisional Generals everything. I had not yet gone into some of
these details with Hunter-Weston, Stopford or B