TCD MS 3414 folio 68 recto
[November 1915]
fire – They were Turks! The fact was that being in such a position I had never thought that they could be anything else but our own, especially from the fact that their horses were on that side of the mound nearer to us. Murry turned the BE round so sharply that the planes were almost vertical with the ground & back we went to Lajj for a transport column was just emerging from there, & I thought I would warn them & drop my messages after, this I did eventually at High Wall. When over this place our engine began to miss fire, but Lajj only being 7 miles away, we were well within the gliding angle. Blackbourne then dropped bombs on <the cavalry> in a seaplane, & according to him, very successfully. Again that night food & water was short, and several regiments were able to take water & biscuits off the Turks killed in the previous night attack. Late in the afternoon the Division retired to the perilous position at High Wall, & had luckily a quiet night. On 25th I did no flying. The Div dug trenches at High Wall as a protection against gun fire, for it was decided for some unearthly reason, that the Div should remain in that impossible position: however at 7 p.m. that night, the Div retired to Lajj, arriving there at 1.30 a.m. on the 26th. Prior to the retirement a large body of Arab Cavalry rode