1915 – August 31

Strengthening defences.

1915 – August 30

Marched to Subhan Khwar, through Shabkadr and pitched camp. A good site with a well good enough to give us water for 2000 men and 2000 followers.

1915 – August 29

Early morning got orders to march out the Khyber Moveable column [see also 1st June 1915] as the Mohmands are really on the move at last. Marched at 6 p.m. Frightful heat, the Kings fell out 50% and the native troops were not much better. Camped at Nagoman on the Cabal [now known as Kabul] River, we just lay down as we were.

[See also this, which is a history of the King’s Regiment (Liverpool), and which makes reference to this date.]

1915 – August 25

Well we’re well through the worst of the hot weather now, but still no rain. The Bunerwals seem to have dispersed and the big gathering of Swatis towards the Malakand is breaking up – things look a little quieter. On the table we still have Dianthus and Verbena – wonderful how they last through this heat.

1915 – August 19

Still no rain and the country is quite parched. But the great heat has gone and we are having a beautiful cool spell. The heat will come back again, but will never be as fierce as it was before. The Bunerwals swarmed down onto Rustam* two days ago, about 4000, but the Guides were waiting for them and I think they must have suffered severely. The Guides only lost 1 Officer and 1 N.C.O. killed and 2 wounded. The Mohmands, who are my particular lot, seem quiet just now and the news of the Buner failure will probably put them off.

* Unable to ascertain where this is

1915 – August 12

No rain yet and heat awful. Locusts passed over to-day – what a happy land! War, intrigue, sedition, heat, dust, flies, scorpions, snakes, wasps, hornets, mosquitos, sandflies, drought, famine, cholera, and plague – just a normal list of life’s little inconveniences in India. The hornets have big nests in the verandah and the wasps are everywhere.

1915 – August 4

Anniversary of the [outbreak of] War, a Grand Intercession Service.

1915 – August 1

The heat has been quite awful. Yesterday Maximum 120º [49ºC], Minimum 88º [31ºC] – Mean 104º [40ºC] – A Record. No rain. Prospects of big famine in addition to this awful war. The war lingers on and no dramatic events relieve the tedium of the daily wires.