“They are starting a great Sporting Club at Baghdad with its grounds 1½ miles outside, where there will be golf, tennis, cricket, racing (?), polo, and boating. It’s a great scheme, and will be a godsend if we are stuck here after cessation of hostilities. “Did you see the Colonel has got D.S.O. now as well as Croix de Guerre, also FitzGibbon has got M.C. as well as Italian Medal? “I go out shooting occasionally, but there’s not much.... It’s still too hot to go out or do anything before 5; however, it’s not as unbearable as it was.” _Captain S. O. Robinson--September 10._--“It is still very hot here in the middle of the day, and when you do get any wind it is generally accompanied with dust. “We are expecting a large draft of men this week, and shall be very glad to get them, as we are very short at present.” _September 18._--“We have had a dust-storm for the last three days, which is very unpleasant, but the wind usually drops at night. I am writing this in a mud hut, so am out of it for the time being. “The British army is more or less settling down in the occupied portion of this country. I only hope we shan’t get a rude shock. [Illustration: CHALDARI SUMMER CAMP, 1917] [Illustration: THE REGIMENTAL MESS] “We have quite transformed the ancient capital of the Caliphs. It is now a modern Eastern town, quite a different place to what it was six months ago.” The following extract is from the diary of Lance-Corporal Bowie, continued from the extract in Chapter XVI. “On the conclusion of this[57] we marched back to our camp at Chaldari, and here commenced our summer routine and the training of remounts, and drafts of men from England for the next operations. “On the 31st May the Cavalry Brigades were inspected by Lieut.-General Sir Stanley Maude, who, after making us a very stirring speech congratulating us on the splendid work we had done during the advance on Baghdad, presented the awards which had been won by men of our machine-gun squadron at Baghela in our action of the 25th February, S.Q.M.S. Luff, Sergeant Bush, and Lance-Corporal Lonsdale all receiving the Military Medal for gallantry there. “On 16th August we held a boxing competition at Chaldari for the Cavalry, the most notable event being the fight between Private Wells, Thirteenth Hussars, _versus_ Private Harriss, Fourteenth Hussars, when Wells added greatly to his reputation by gaining the verdict over Harriss, who was at one time the Bantam Champion of India. “Some little time after this, the Regiment was invited by the Sheikh of a neighbouring Arab village to beat up his estate for wild boar. This we accepted, and all ranks had a most enjoyable day’s sport in consequence.