p.

8.
rather than take a chance in somebody else's
judgement. I think he will do very well.
I also have an R. A. officer, attached to me for the
purpose of a Court Martial, his Regt having broken
up - a most frightful shit - ten years in the ranks
in the Regular Army, & commissioned in 1939. And he
is charged with borrowing money, under a compulsion, from
the native tailor & shoemaker. Very wise? Not content
with this, he has, during the last week, borrowed
£1 from Solomon, & 50/ from a R.A.F. assistant
Adjutant. And then, before I knew of this, having got
weekend leave from me, overstays his leave, & stays
at the King David Hotel, Jerusalem, about £3 a day.
I was very rude to him yesterday morning, & confined
him to barracks until his trial comes off. Blasted
nuisance - it means all the more work for me, and
had to do the sumamry of evidence & generally
prepare all the bumf. I protested vigorously at the
time, for not attaching him to a R.A unit, but was
palmed off with another of these compliments about
having so much more confidence in me. I wonder
very much when H.Q pile all the extra work onto
me, whether these compliments are real, or just to
lighten the burden. However, H.Q. told me that
the proceedings for this case brought forth a nice
thankyou from the Judge Advocate Generals Dept
at Force H.Q. who said that it was the best
prepared, & therefore the easiest case with which