there being
heavy rain with a bitterly cold wind coming off the snow hills. The
ground became a sea of mud which made it most difficult to remove the
wounded, and many of these had to lie out till the armistice was
arranged the following day.

* * * * *

FURTHER DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FIGHT AT UM EL HANNA,
BY EYE-WITNESSES.

_By an Officer of the 4th Hants._

"The fighting on the 21st was a pure slaughter. It was too awful....

"The troops from France say that in all their experience there they
never suffered so much from weather conditions.

"We were wet to the skin and there was a bitter wind coming off the
snow hills. Many poor fellows died from exposure that night, I am
afraid; and many of the wounded were lying out for more than
twenty-four hours until the armistice was arranged the following day."

* * * * *

_Another written down from a Private's account._

"The three Companies of Hampshires were in support, with two native
Regiments, and a Battalion of Connaught Rangers. The Black Watch and
Seaforths were in the firing line. The Hants men were next the river.
The two native Regiments refused to leave their trenches when they
saw the fierce fire from the machine guns. The Connaughts were
fighting further off. So the Hampshire men were obliged to go on
alone. 'We never made a rush, and just walked slowly through the rain.
A slow march to our deaths, I call it.'"

He then said they had got mixed up with the Black Watch and got into
the first Turkish trench, but had been driven out of it again. He saw
Capt. Palmer fall about 200 yards from the trench but did not see
whether he got up again, or where he was wounded.

* * * * *

THORNFIELD,

BITTERNE,

SOUTHAMPTON,

_10th August_, 1916.

DEAR LADY SELBORNE,

I have just received a letter from 2nd Lt. C.H. Vernon, 1/4 Hants
(really 2/7 Hants attached) recording his search for my son's body on
the 7th April, 1916, its discovery (as he believes) and its burial. He
also adds that "at the same time he looked for Capt. Palmer's, but
could not find him. It was afterwards that he heard of his death in
the Turkish Camp," and he adds, "Some stories have come through from
survivors as to how he lost his life. As far as we can gather, he was
the only Hants officer actually to penetrate the Turkish trenches with
a few men. That was on the extreme left close to t