Left turn! Quick march!

TCD MS 3416 page 7

TCD MS 3416 page 7

[April 1916]

both river fronts, their neat flower gardens & the general appearance of cleanliness at once suggested the handiwork of Armenians. Practically every house along the river front was occupied as a Hospital.

We were at once boarded by the Governor of Baghdad, with his staff and many other officers, dressed in parti-coloured uniforms suggestive of the comic opera all apparently very busy & concerned about nothing much saluting & the usual exchange of compliments took place.

Our generals & field officers remained on board, while the Captains & subalterns with Indian officers were all lined up in the Embassy garden: we were then snap shotted by a corpulent German gentleman, wearing a diminutive comical-shaped sun helmet, whose self-satisfied appearance led us to believe that he alone might have been responsible for our capture!

Left turn! Quick march! saw us setting out on a circus-march through the city, but Beyond a few Arab boys who showed a certain amount of enthusiasm for the Temporary Turkish success, the population seemed quite indifferent – We of course had many silent sympathisers amongst