ters there. But luckily they left San Martino
alone, thinking it too small to worry about. There seemed to be no
anti-aircraft defences anywhere. But our Air Force soon mitigated the
nuisance by raiding their aerodromes, and brought down a number of
hostile planes in air fighting.

Our Staff again brought themselves into notice at Christmas by altering
our official address from "B.E.F. Italy" to "Italian Expeditionary
Force." I heard that the distinguished General, who introduced this
reform, estimated that it would hasten victory by several months. But
the stupid soldiers and their stupid relatives at home, having got into
the habit of using the abbreviation "B.E.F.," shortened the new address
to "I.E.F.," and the stupid postal people began to send the letters to
India! And then the distinguished General had to issue another order,
pointing out that "this abbreviation is unauthorised" and that "this
practice must cease."

In the midst of such excitements the New Year began, and the Major was
awarded the D.S.O. for work on the Carso. He was as delighted as a
child, and I too was very glad. This decoration, even more than most
others, has been much too freely dished out during this war among quite
undeserving people, who have simply made an art of playing up to their
official superiors. The Major, however, had always been something of a
thorn in the side of various Headquarters, and seldom hesitated to speak
his mind both to, and of, Colonels and Generals and Staff officers
generally. For this reason, and also for others, I consider that he
deserved a D.S.O. a great deal more than many who received one.

CHAPTER XXVIII

THE FIRST BRITISH BATTERY UP THE MOUNTAINS

The Major's words were soon to come true, after many of those delays and
conflicting orders of which the victims of war time "Staff work" have
profuse experience. On the 7th of January we moved up the mountains into
the position previously selected near Casa Girardi. We were the first
British Battery to go up. Two others and a Brigade Headquarters were to
follow, when it had been seen how we got on. When in doubt, try it on
the dog!

It began to snow as we came into Marostica, and we had great difficulty
with the lorries even on gentle gradients. The roads were frozen hard
and in places very slippery. We managed, however, to reach Casa Girardi
before nightfall and found that our advance party had put up some wooden
huts, and cut some trees for fuel. A