Item 01: Eric Susman war diary, 1 January 1915-4 April 1916 - Page 77
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[Page 77]
Monday 22 February 1915
Battalion field training to-day. Great attention is now being paid to the rapid extension from the ordinary column of route to a formation which minimises the possible loss from shrapnel or shell fire. We practised this continuously to-day, so that the battalion is evidently not too keen on being wiped out by the artillery. To-day I was impressed by two things. One was the competence, "command" and intelligence of our second-in-command, a highly trained colonial soldier and the other was the lamentable incompetence, lack of control, and mental dullness of our Commanding Officer, one of those so-called veterans, "a South African" man. Most of this latter class of "old soldiers" are more bother than they are worth – especially if they fail to display a single soldierly quality. On the other hand Major Ellis is a born soldier – a man in whom any person in this battalion would place the greatest confidence. His ideas are clear; and these same ideas are formulated in clear, concise orders. He knows what he wants done – and gets it done. But the other … absolutely hopeless!