War story

 Monday, December 21st., Comarques, Thorpe-le-Soken.

General Heath, Colonel Ryley and a sub called to see me yesterday morning. Heath, still greatly preoccupied with the question of civilian behaviour in an invasion, showed me a proclamation which he was having printed about sniping etc. He also showed me a draft proclamation to coastal population about bombardment. It was clumsy. I offered, with proper diffidence, to re-draft it. He consented. I posted him the new draft last night. Always tricky to know whether to 'improve' other peoples written efforts, but I think he came with improvement in mind.

Two naval officers, Lieutenant Hogg and Assistant Paymaster Simmons on motor bikes for tea. Pretty obvious that they at least are enjoying the war. I suppose there are plenty of young men up and down the country for whom this is the most exciting thing that has happened in their lives. Or probably will happen.  Hogg told me a tale of a cavalry soldier wounded in a charge, who lay on the field with the spear of a lance sticking in him. Another English soldier came along and was asked to remove the spear. Just as he started to do so he was shot through the brain. Then a group of Germans came along and began to loot. Without troubling as to the spear, they took the wristwatch off the cavalryman's wrist, but just then a shell burst among them killing or disabling all of them, but leaving the cavalryman untouched. He was ultimately saved. All told with much relish! I don't believe a word of it, but a good story if well told There must be dozens of similar stories circulating the country. Good for morale I suppose.

 

One of the officers said he thought it must seem like hard luck to me to be too old to join up. I didn't disabuse him. Just mentally shook my head and shrugged my shoulders and reflected that I was young once. However, we must consider what we shall do, being not far from the coast, if there really is an invasion. Stay put I should think and keep our heads well down.