4.45. Had just got that over and was settling down comfortably to read "Desmond's Daughter" when up came the Chaprassi with a wire!
A telegram came in on Saturday asking for another officer for the Persian Gulf and the C.O. wired back "No officer Available" This wire that came in now referred to that. It said "Reference your telegram No officer available please xxxx wire name of officer selected. Adminstaff Murree." Which meant to say very plainly "What the deuce do you mean by saying No officer available? You jolly/detail an officer and buck up about it! well
So I sat on that wire for an hour or so as I knew the C.O. would not be back from Murre till about 6.0. and then I wandered up to the Majors with it. He was not sure whether the C.O. had come back or no, so we went up together to see. We found that he had been in about a quarter of an hour. Of course he said as we had thought that the only thing to be done was to detail an officer with all speed so after staying there talking for about half an hour I wandered back to the Orderly room and telegraphed Lamont's name and sent xxxxxxxxxx him down a chit as well. So Lamont is now under orders for the Gulf a second time now.
I don't think there is any doubt that he will go this time as a letter we had in this morning says that they are to go as re-inforcements to Territorial units and that they will embark "Early in September"
It was 7.45 when I left the Orderly Room finally. That is one of the joys of the Adjutant's life! If only there were no telegrams it would not be so.bad! But these beastly wires heve a habit of coming in about four o/clock in the afternoon just when you heave a sigh of relief and say "Well I have really finished for the day now."
Tuesday August 29th 1916.
Went down to see the Draft before Breakfast this morning. Had four Orderly room cases.
Rendez-voused for the Staff Tour at the "Engine House on the Pipe Line at 9.15. We got a moveon about 9.20. It was quite an interesting morning and we did not go more than 2 1/2 miles out. All the same it was 1.30 before we got back to the Mess for Tiffin.
The "Regimental Exercise" of course meant Orderly Room this afternoon. There was to have been an Officers Football match against No. 12 Platoon at 4.30 but at 3.15 it started to rain and rained steadily until 4.0. so Football was out of the question. That was almost as well as I should have had my work very much cut out to have got there by 4.30. as I didn't finish in the Orderly room until 4.10 and then I took a few chits to my Bungalow to write.