It was Lord Kitchener who wisely made the appointment of “Recording Officer with the Indian Corps,” and it must have been he who refused to consider his abolition under any circumstances. On 2nd May, as on numerous other occasions, I had spent the whole day in the trenches. There alone could one understand the real life the men lived, and appreciate what they were doing. Besides, a big attack was pending, and a thorough survey of the ground to our front was necessary. The particular battalions I saw in the most advanced line this day were the 9th Gurkhas and 6th Jats. I chatted freely with the men and was struck by their eagerness to ask questions. One _jawan_ of the Jats said: “We have been arguing as to whether there is a hill in this country: why, we had one even in my own village near Hissar (it was probably an old disused brick kiln), but although the troops who fought near Ypres in April tell me that they saw hills and valleys, I can scarcely believe it.” I told him there were plenty of high mountains on some parts of the Allied front. He said: “Then send us for a motor bus trip, and if it turns out to be so, I will give a banquet to my company when we again get a rest.” Another young Jat quickly added: “You are too generous. You need not trouble about the banquet, for that time will never arrive.” This raised a general laugh, and as I passed on I said: “You see we cannot spare the 6th Jats because the Germans are afraid to attack as long as you are up in the front trenches.” “Well said, General Sahib! now we understand,” came from several men. The G.O.C. First Army was a very frequent visitor to our Corps Headquarters. I see in my diary over and over again how often he came to see me and discussed operations past or future. This was a great help in carrying them out, and his intimate knowledge of the maps showing our trenches, defensive posts, and situation generally, was quite astonishing. It was only one of his many fronts, but you had to be pretty quick with him, and I do not doubt that he knew as much of the front he was eventually responsible for as he did of our own short line. He has since made a world-wide name as a soldier. I wonder if he sometimes recalls the days when the Corps yclept “Indian” was under his command. In my diary of 10th May, the day after our severe fighting at Festubert, there is an entry, “Nice letter from Viceroy.” As I have often said before in this book, Lord Hardinge never failed to write fully regarding the Indian Army. I have a big file of his letters, which as I re-read them show plainly that no man could possibly have done more to help the Corps in France.