all. The "Ninth" moved up by stages, marching via Lapugnoy and Verquin, to
its battle position in trenches by Le Rutoire Farm, which it reached on
the 24th. The Battalion and the London Scottish formed a body called
"Green's Force," to which was given as a first objective the German front
line trenches in the vicinity of Lone Tree, as this objective was left
uncovered by the diverging advance of the 1st Brigade on the right and the
2nd Brigade on the left.

In the grey light of the morning on the 25th September the British guns
opened with a furious fire after many days of artillery preparation. The
great battle had begun. For some time, and according to orders, the
Battalion remained in its position. It was not to advance before 8-0 a.m.
At this time the men left the assembly trench to move over the open to the
front line. The enemy machine gunners had the range, and several were
wounded almost on leaving the trench. The advance was made by sectional
rushes, each section seeking what cover there was. Those who were wounded
while actually advancing in many cases received slight wounds, but those
that were hit while lying down were generally killed, as the bullets
struck them in the head or traversed the vital organs for the length of
the body. It required a courageous heart to advance seeing one's comrades
thus desperately wounded or lying dead. The shell fire was not heavy, and
few casualties were attributable to it. Lieutenant-Colonel Ramsay led the
attack in person, and he was easily recognisable by the wand which he
carried. One of the Battalion machine guns was pushed forward about 2-0
p.m. and under the covering fire it afforded the advance was continued.
The advance had been slow and losses were severe, but at 3-30 p.m. the men
had succeeded in establishing themselves in one line about a hundred yards
from the German trenches. A few minutes afterwards the Germans
surrendered, and between three and four hundred prisoners were taken. They
chiefly belonged to the 59th and 157th Infantry Regiments. A harvest of