James Holland

Someone else shot in the chest by a sniper.

Maybe not.

But everyone's been poking fun at Trooper Mills, who's Wharton's young gunner.

And Mills once told the boys he'd never smoked except in dire emergencies.

Then in a brief interlude in the fighting around St.

Pierre, all the boys were smoking furiously, including Mills.

And Wharton writes, now whenever we hand around the fags, we never fail to ask him if the situation is acute enough to warrant him lighting up.

I mean, how can you not love these guys?

This is so funny.

And on the 15th, Stanley is confirmed as the new commanding officer of the regiment.

And it's interesting.

He wants it.

He's ambitious and he wants a challenge.

But I think he also thinks...

He's watched the regiment evolve, and what he wants is a fresh approach to leadership.

You know, Laycock is hugely respected.

No one doubts his fighting spirit and the fact that he's been the backbone of the regiment, but everyone's a bit scared of him.

And Christofferson wants to shape his command of the regiment in a much more accessible way, which is much more suited to the times with these young guys like David Render arriving, age 19, and

Stuart Hill's also 19.

You know, he wants to be a bit more avuncular.