all over." "My dear
sir," he replied, "we'll have years of it yet." I asked if he thought
there was any possibility of its ending this year. "Absolutely none; I
think there may be trouble in Germany over the food supply by the
beginning of next harvest and, if so, there will be a chance of its
ending in twelve months, but it is more likely to take two years." I
was afterwards speaking to Major ---- about this, and I have always
agreed with his remark, "It is all damned nonsense to talk about
starving Germany".

After tea I returned to the Hill where several of the Staff were
collected. We watched a body of Turks, about 200 in number, leave
their own lines and come towards ours with a large white flag. Within
three seconds after their forming into a body five of our shells
landed among them, and there was nothing to be seen when the smoke
cleared off. But in a few minutes those remaining gathered into a body
again, and immediately two more shells exploded in their midst. The
few remaining could now be seen coming out of the smoke and tearing
down a slope to a nullah a short way off, and they were not seen
again. Major ---- was here called away to interpret to three Turkish
prisoners who had come in, but I have heard no particulars of their
examination.... I hear from one of the orderlies that a prisoner
complained that their own guns opened on them as soon as a body formed
up to surrender. (This is what actually happened, Turkish shells, not
ours, fell among them, a lesson to others what would happen if they
surrendered.)

We seem to have made a great advance in front of our Naval Division.
It is more difficult to say what the French have done, their line is
more hidden from here, owing to the contour of the ground. It will be
dark by 8, and now at 6.45 it is high time we were straightening up
our line, otherwise the forward positions will be enfiladed by night.

I heard our Artillery Staff-General being asked at the Observation
Hill if he was satisfied with the day's work, and he replied, "Quite,
on the whole, quite, quite".

I was interested to find that none of our Generals left H.Q. to-day;
everything is worked from there by telephone. Each was at his own post
and spent little time on the Observation Hill--much less than I did
myself.

_July 13th._--Rumours after a battle are always plentiful, but at H.Q.
one has an opportunity of sifting these, in fact I could always get
the exact truth by asking members of