“I have to report with great regret the death yesterday in Baghdad from cholera of Captain Payne, who last winter, you may remember, was in Billy’s squadron, and whose letters to his wife were of great interest.” CHAPTER XIX. WINTER OF 1917-18. After the lamented death of General Maude the command of the British army in Mesopotamia devolved upon Lieut.-General Sir W. R. Marshall, K.C.B., K.C.S.I., who had been one of the two corps commanders during the advance on Baghdad. In a despatch giving an account of the operations of the force during the winter which followed General Maude’s death, General Marshall explains in a few words the situation with which he had to deal when he took over charge. After paying a warm tribute to the work and character of his dead Chief, he writes: “When, therefore, I had the honour of being appointed as his successor, the _moral_ of the army was magnificent, while organisation and training had reached a high level of efficiency. The Turkish army, on the contrary, was low in _moral_, and desertions from it were numerous and frequent; on the Tigris and Euphrates they had retreated out of rapid striking distance, and only on our right flank was there a good opportunity of hitting them.” [Illustration: 2nd Lieut. A. C. BARRINGTON] [Illustration: Lieut. M. R. FARRER] [Illustration: Lieut. F. G. LAWRENCE] [Illustration: Lieut. E. GOODMAN] [Illustration: Lieut. W. W. N. DAVIES] [Illustration: 2nd Lieut. E. P. BARRETT] [Illustration: Lieut. H. G. KESWICK] General Marshall does not take up at this point the consideration of any general questions outside the immediate purview of the Mesopotamian force, but it may be observed here that the state of affairs in the various theatres of war had of late greatly altered. The collapse of Russia had made an immense difference in Europe, and also in Asia, where Great Britain was now left practically alone in face of the Turkish military power; and on the left of the great Turkish battle-line the enemy had made a notable advance, threatening the Caucasus and Northern Persia. On the other hand, it had now become fairly clear that the long strain of the war was telling on the Turks, who, it must be remembered, had entered into it when still shaken by their recent defeat at the hands of Bulgaria. The defence of the Dardanelles, too, though successful, had tried them more than the world suspected, and they had not shown themselves capable of throwing forward from their base in Asia Minor, either against General Allenby in Palestine on their right, or against General Maude on their centre, such masses of troops as some had expected. Indeed, on both these fronts, the British now seemed to be numerically superior. But to revert to the operations on the latter front.