May 9th 1941

I do two more recco patrols yesterday and front gun a gun team (horses) on Falluja plain. Most of the time is spent low flying over the area and taking photographs with my camera. A Sgt pilot in an Oxford, at 2000′ over Ramadi, has one shot fired at him and it goes through his heart. I go down to view all the booty in A.S.U. and get myself an 18lb shell case. There are all the guns and armoured cars and a wicked little Italian “whippet” tank. Some Valencia came up from Shaibah the other day and lost the way. One had to land at Hit, where the crew and passengers (15 Kings Own) surrendered after burning the plane. Galiani (Rachid Ali) has fled to Turkey, according to the BBC, after riots in Baghdad, so I suppose this little war is now over. The Blenheims raid Mosul yesterday, and one gets shot up have to bail or bale out up there. 5 hrs flying yesterday and damned tired, with “parachute bottom”. (JDW: Presumably from having to sit on the packed parachute while flying?) I get myself issued with an Iraqi .38 at the depot by saying I haven’t got a gun, so it can’t really be classified as “loot” or “booty”.