As to Byng, I think
myself he is not quite sure yet about the spirit of his men. I have been
trying to spur him on for the last day or so, although only by very
gentle hints, as I think, with a man of Byng's great reputation, one
must leave him to himself for as long as possible. I daresay he may be
quite right and very wise. Still, these reinforcements have brought the
Suvla Bay troops up to no less than 37,000 men, and I am most anxious
they should do something soon a little more rapid than sapping out
slowly towards the enemy's lines--which they are doing."

After my talk with Byng, we went on to meet Fanshawe and de Lisle. Maude
came along with me as far as the crestline. I asked him about his
Division. He replied: "Sir Ian, may I be frank with you about the
Division?" At these ominous words I shivered. They positively gave me
the shivers. So I braced myself up when I answered, "But of course!"
Maude then said, "If you give the order now, and will arrange for a
little artillery support, my Division will storm and hold on to any
thousand yards of Turkish trench you like to point out; to-morrow." I
could have embraced him, but I had to go steady and explain to him that
a Corps Commander must judge all his Divisions and that, taking the
situation as a whole, Byng did not think it fair on the men to let them
have a dart yet--not, at least, till they had more munitions at their
back. Byng has had wide experiences in the West and he looks on it as
trying the men unfairly to ask them to attack without a preliminary
bombardment on a scale which we cannot at present afford. "Yes," said
Maude, "that is all very well but after all you must remember the Turks
have neither the artillery nor the munitions the Germans have at their
command on the Western front."

"Well," I replied, "you put your points to Byng and you know I am a man
who never yet in my life refused a good brave offer like yours." He has
a great admiration for Byng and so, though sadly, he went away.

Fanshawe met me at the South end of the Division trenches, as bright and
keen as a new nail. His men, too, seem full of go. Fanshawe hopes to
carry the whole ridge whenever he gets the order. The 11th Division
promise to be as fine a unit as any in the Army once they get their gaps
filled in.

_16th September, 1915. Imbros._ We had quite a lively morning here. At
7.30 an enemy's biplane dropped four bombs on our Headquarters camp and
got away with hardly a shot