I went in a bellum to visit a shady creek

TCD MS 10515 folio 31r

TCD MS 10515 folio 31r

[April 1st 1916] with the expected attack for the relief of Kut; an attack over the this sticky and almost impassable clay is extremely difficult. No man could rush at a trench over this slippery adhesive mud, and to advance at a careful walk in face of a blazing fire seems a human impossibility.

Sunday: April 2nd 1916: Makina, Basra

The morning broke into a cloudless sky; the air felt fresh and crisp after yesterday’s deluge. In the afternoon I went in a bellum to visit a shady creek amidst the date palms to the South of the town. It is the pleasant custom of the gay folk of Basra to spend their Sunday afternoon quietly reclining in their boats and enjoying the cool of the evening in this picturesque waterway. A crowd