A Story of War

Yesterday (Christmas Day) with great trouble I raise an officers team to play the Sergeants Mess. They arrive drunk at 4.15pm and start playing with bottles and cigarettes in their hands, which are removed. On being knocked over, most of them stay flat out until lifted up. We get eight before half time, but then the game breaks up as Sergeants Bower, Sedgewick and Philpots start fighting – the spectators meanwhile carry on with the football.

Dinner with the Scotts, he is chief equipment officer, and we play games with pencil and paper which I haven’t done for years. Between 7.30 and 1.30 I get three small glasses of beer, but knowing the ropes I went well fortified beforehand and was in cracking form.

Went down to the Signals Mess the other day and invented a new trick – “Do you play tomatoes?’ Falconer and I happened to find some tomatoes in the kitchen so brought one out. Then I held it on a chap’s head and we all put our hands on top “to lift him up” whilst Falconer clapped his down on top and squashed the lot. The Sergeants thought it rather a good trick…