After another turn in the front line, the 4th SAI leaves the Gouzeaucourt subsector for a couple of weeks of training at Moislains.
Donald takes his leave of the 4th SAI (South African Scottish) Regiment while at Fins on the way to Moislains. Newly arrived from the U.K., Major C.M. Browne takes over command of the 4th Regiment South African Infantry until the return from leave of Lt.Col. D.M. MacLeod on the 29th.
Donald’s own memoirs written in April 1935 record…
Early in 1918 I was sent on special duty to join a force under General Dunsterville in the Middle East. I went through Mesopotamia into Persia thence via Kermanshah, Hamadan, Kasvin to Resht where for a short while I was Military Governor. Thence to the Caspian Sea and, via Lankoran, to the Mugan Steppe in charge of a British Military Mission to keep the Russians and the Armenians fighting against the Turks and Tartars.
This was the mission officially known as the British Military Mission to the Caucasus but commonly known as Dunsterforce. The history of Dunsterforce was written up by Major-General L.C. Dunsterville C.B., C.S.I. in a book called “The Adventures of Dunsterforce” pub. Edward Arnold, 1920. “Secret Army” by Barry Stone is an independent account of the actions of Dunsterforce.
The war diaries of Dunsterforce are available from the National Archives as WO 95/5042 , WO 95/5043 and WO 95/5044.
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