31st March 1916 Friday

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“Then the Army Commander, Sir Charles Munroe [sic] inspected us one day. All was bustle – elbow grease and spit and polish – but everything went off all right.

Sir Charles Monro

I got back to the 130^th Field Ambulance on the 31^st March (1916) and was very glad to be back with them all again. A Dr. Griffiths relieved me. He used to be with the 14^th Welsh in England. I got back to my old billet at Mesplaux. The old lady was greatly pleased to see me again as she thought I’d been killed.”

Sir Charles Monro at the time of the inspection, was during 1916 briefly in command of The British First Army in France. Later that year he was appointed as Commander-in-Chief India. He had achieved high office after a series of promotions through the ranks since receiving his commission into the army as a second lieutenant in 1879. Exactly the same as Douglas the previous year. The difference being that Sir Charles Monro pursued a career as a soldier and Douglas as medical doctor.

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