Basra, 20th May 2007

A busy few months. The other BG in the city left some weeks ago and we settled down to be the only unit left in town. Not that that was overly concerning; Saddam had no illusions as to his popularity, so rather than getting in Barratt Homes to knock him up a couple of Surreyesque monstrosities and throw in the DFS show home suite for free (plus a top of the range Horrocks carpet (maybe the Boudoir Range)), he called the Norman Fosters of the Pill Box and Reinforced Concrete Building World (the Jerries), to build him big Dictator Stylee Surreyesque monstrosities that could take a direct hit from an Iranian shell. Although the previous occupant has unfortunately gone on to higher things the rest of the sketch has panned out as he, although not out Tony and our George, expected. So in brief the Palace is dead strong and you're only going to get hit if you walk outside for prolonged periods of time. (it has curtailed my trips to muscle beach- as the gym has been hit as well it is I'm afraid inevitable that my body sculpting regime has been affected).

Unfortunately outside the Palace everything isn't quite so strong. We lost two guys on consecutive days to sniper fire within a km of the Palace and then the other BG was hit by the roadside bomb a day later. Seven in a week is expensive and actually slightly numbing. Guys from the BG you tend to know well others you don't. It's probably better that the lads are so busy that there is little time to reflect on their losses; a quick sunset service and then as night falls a helicopter drops in, his mates carry the body on and then its off- the only reminder being the flag drooped halfway up the flagpole. And by the next morning even that is back to normal. Not a lingering act of remembrance but unfortunately a practical one. As the Commanding Officer said after the second death, the time for sitting morosely and questioning what we are doing here and why we are here is in eight weeks time over a glass of wine, now the only option is to regain the initiative, keep the lads focussed and busy and ensure that our job, however small and ineffective in the big scheme of nation building/ face saving is done.

Apologies that I have not managed to keep up normal service of e-mails or reply to personal e-mails, or write any letters at all; in a weeks time (God and RAF willing) I should be sitting somewhere cold, wet and unsandy with all the time and inclination to re-establish contact. Until then I'm afraid its sleep, sweat and the daily grind. But the end is in sight. Looking forward to seeing/ speaking you all in the near future.