half a mile.

The R.C. Padre who is attached to the Munsters, and has messed with us
for the last week or so, leaves us to-morrow to our general regret. He
is the most amusing man I have met in the army. Now that the hardiest
of us, although we are still carrying on, are far from fit, and our
spirits none of the best, we will miss him sorely.

_September 27th._--I have had a very busy day especially at the
dressing station. A messenger came from there a few minutes after
midnight, and I had to go up to see some Munsters who had been wounded
two hours before in a scrap with the Turks. As I tramped back alone in
the dark (this is entirely against orders) the frequent ping of
bullets was not too comforting, and as I neared our base several
shells came about, at no great distance, when I found myself pushing
my fingers inside my shirt to make sure that I had my identity disc
round my neck, a habit I have got into when alone and in a hot corner.
When I returned in the evening I found still another officer had been
attached to us--Stott. The padre told us many amusing stones at
dinner. He said he knew one of the Dewar family who always began his
speeches with the remark that he was not a speaker but a "doer," and
ended by saying, "I must now do as the lady of Coventry should have
done, and make for my 'close'".

The Regimental M.O.'s are too lenient--that is my experience at any
rate--and send too many away to the base hospitals, and to-day Hoskin
and I returned ten of their cases to their lines, which we have the
power to do. Probably 150 a day are leaving Suvla alone on sick leave,
many with mere trifles, and a large number through sheer funk--I
approve of getting rid of these, they are worse than useless, they
cause panic very often. Last night we had two cases of acute insanity
from this cause, both boys of nineteen, and to-day I sent off one of
seventeen with the same trouble.

_September 28th._--Last night about 7 a furious attack was made by the
Turks which lasted half an hour. A gun behind Sari Bair, which has
bothered us before, threw about twenty shells round our base, their
objective being either the road in front of us, or the ships behind.
Pieces were flying about in all directions. This was followed by a
quiet night, only one shell going over us and out to sea about
midnight.

8.15 p.m.--I have come out to our dressing station for the night, and
am in a newly made dug-out, which has been deepened and