p.

7.

from the stage. I was nervous before starting last
night because though I have had quite an
amount of practice with the Coy, it is comparatively
easy to speak to 200 men under military law & your
own command & anybody making a noise or not
paying attention is put under arrest by the Sgt
Major.

I wonder how all this will affect my eventual attempt
to be sent home, which was the original reason for my
pushing myself into the breach. It certainly cannot do
any harm, the publicity may do good. I saw Col
Leicester this morning about some things. He was all
beams & smiles & inquired how my speech had gone on; his
permission had to be sought beforehand, I had to ask him
about the Zikhron meeting in which he said was all
right & gave me a free hand to go whenever I wanted
to. It seems he is going to be given command of
the Area & it was as Area Commander that I saw
him. You asked me in your last letter what sort of a
man he was & said that he must have great faith
in me on account of this second i/c business that
was not so great a test of faith really because he
did not approve of the appointment of Belreas who
was thrown a bone by Force H.Q. as a Captain. I
was the unlucky one to get him. And in the case
of Burnett, when I put in my report, a Major
from Burnett's regt was at hand to agree with
what I said. In point of fact neither of them are
any worse than McCallaum, but in the Army they
can relieve people of appointments & rank
whereas in business, or in the Assn anyway, they