23rd September 1914

French troops going through infantry drill. Heard the Artillery trumpeters at practice.  Bright sunny weather, cool in the morning and evening.
Met here at LE MANS Sgt Major of Royal Fling Corps and he told me that he was awarded a French honour for valour.  Apparently there have been no aviators among the British who have met with any ordinary flying accident, which appears remarkable in view of the fact that before the war we read every week of officers being killed by flying accidents over Salisbury.  Although we saw numbers of aviators every day I never saw one come to grief in a flying accident.  The Sgt Major of the RFC said that he placed steel sheets in the seats of the aeroplane for protection and at his own suggestion.
I hear it was at these barracks that Dreyfus was stationed before the trial.  Hear of the capture of 10,00 Germans and 30,000 Austrians by the Russians.