All the inhabitants of Azizeh had flown

TCD MS 3414 folio 55 recto

TCD MS 3414 folio 55 recto

[October 1915]

Chapter 7 Azizieh Camp

Azizieh was a very small Arab village consisting only of some 40 mud hovels from which all the inhabitants had flown, leaving only a few domestic cats and dogs roaming about. We at once proceeded to make a fortified perimeter camp which was sufficient to have protected us from a surprise attack and to have enabled us to have <deployed to> assume the offensive. <About 2 miles downstream on the right bank in the loop of the river we left a post, known as Frazers Post, to secure our main camp from attack from that quarter, it consisted of one Indian regiment.> We, however never had occasion to in any way assert ourselves. The river being low, the R.F.C placed their camp close to the river bank where the workshop & store barges were moored. We each had a 40lb tent as well as plenty of kit (for we made use of our barges!) two E.P. Tents as a mess, <&> in fact we made ourselves very comfortable. A good gramaphone and a large supply of wines & tobacco helped on a convivial evening occasionally. If our brothers fighting in France could have seen the huge amount of kit that officers in Mesopotamia carried they would <have> been astounded – I myself had, besides my field kit, two portmanteaus, a racing bag, fishing rods & gear, a camera and