Literary merit

Wednesday, March 22nd., Comarques, Thorpe-le-Soken.

According to the Swedish betting, this is the day, at the latest, on which the German Fleet ought to come out. Strange thing to bet on. Wonder if any of the German admirals have money down?

I received a letter from General Martin, Chief Military Representative for Essex Emergency Committee in case of invasion, this morning asking me to give him a few more copies of the Tendring Division Instructions, drawn up by me, to be used as a guide for other Divisions. I thought ours were very late, seeing that the W.O. Instructions were revised over six months ago. Also it seems strange that the W.O. should depend on the chance of the Instructions in one Division being competently drawn up, for the example of others. You would have thought that the Central Emergency Committee would have drawn up a model set of Instructions. However the letter shows that literary merit is appreciated, even in military circles. 

I am working hard to keep the Wounded Allies Relief Committee in funds, though the difficulty of doing so increases every week. General appeals to the British public are now become almost useless. I have obtained over £5,000 out of the U.S. public and believe there is potential for a great deal more if I can hit on the best way. To that end I am sending some pamphlets to Mrs Herzog, my primary contact in America, in hope that she will be able to do more on the spot than I can do at a distance. She is a most determined lady

My liver is even worse than usual at the moment. In fact the doctor came to see me today. It was not my own doctor who is in bed with asthma brought on by overwork. He sent a locum who is a Medical Officer on sick leave from the Front. He has had inflammation of the small intestine for a year and cannot cure himself, so I am not too hopeful that he will be able to help me.