With the Serbs in Macedonia

GOING OVERSEAS ii
and Ordnance is, was, and ever will be—
Ordnance. It knows only the gospel according
to G. 1098.
Our experience was that they believed in
their System above all things. System, of
course, is necessary, and a certain amount of
Red Tape is necessary ; but even with a
system one ought to remember that there is a
war on. The business of Ordnance was not
conducted by the hour, day, or job to suit the
convenience of customers. Every day, war or
no war, they closed from twelve to two. On one
occasion we were expectiitg to embark on the
morrow, the officer-in-charge of Workshops
was up to his eyes in work, and had come forty
miles to see them. He arrived at two minutes
to twelve. But they couldn't interfere with
their System for him. It was impossible that
any of their men should be kept five minutes
from their dinners. Either he must wait till
two, or go away without his stores ; and, as he
absolutely could not wait, the latter had it.
Of course, we didn't embark on the morrow
after all, so he made another forty-mile journey
at the taxpayers' expense.
This, however, was all in the day's work.
One expects that sort of thing in the Army,
and that is the sort of thing the Army never
disappoints
one in,