He treated me and everything around him with impatience, as though he could not wait for something that he was expecting.
I have seen in this business of the war strange things that nerves can do with the human mind and body.

I have seen many men who remain with their nerves as strong as steel from the first to the last, but this is, I should say, the exception and only to be found with men of a very unimaginative character.

As regards Trenchard one must take into account his recent loss, the sudden stress of incessant exhausting work, the flaming weather and the constant companionship of the one human being of all others most calculated to disturb his tranquillity.
But in varying degrees I think that every one in this place was at this time working under a strain of something abnormal and uncalculated.

The very knowledge that the attack was now being pressed severely and that we had so little ammunition with which to reply, was enough to strain the nerves of every one.

Trenchard told me, in the course of the conversation, that I had with him during my second day's stay, that his visit to the lines some days earlier (this is the visit of which he speaks in his diary) had greatly upset him.