to work their guns. The drone of the gas shells passing overhead, and the
knowledge of this device on the part of the British artillery, was very
reassuring to the waiting troops.

For a few minutes before zero all was tranquil, and the men were quietly
waiting. Zero was at 3-50 a.m., at which hour it was quite dark. Suddenly
there was heard the firing of an 18-pounder battery. It was a battery
firing just a second or two early. There followed a deafening roar. All
the guns had fired together, and their shells were racing across the sky.
A sheet of flame covered the enemy trenches. The fight had begun. The men
rose from their positions slowly and went over the top to the front line,
where according to plan they waited twenty-five minutes. The advance then
continued. They should have advanced in waves, but that was impossible
over the shell-cratered ground, as the going over the churned-up earth was
very difficult, particularly in view of the heavy loads the men carried.
All cohesion was soon lost, and the men sauntered forward in little groups
endeavouring as best they could to keep the proper direction. No one knew
what was happening. After passing the enemy front line all danger from his
barrage was over, but his machine guns were active, and every now and then
a man dropped--in many cases not to rise again. At length the river
Steenbeek was reached. Numbers were few and hopes of success were rapidly
vanishing. How the fight had progressed on the right or left no one knew.
In front was a strong position on the other side of the Steenbeek Valley,
which turned out ultimately to be Bank Farm.

The enemy in the dim light was firing his machine guns and causing
casualties, but with a final rush the men were in the centre of a German
strong point. The companies were weak, one consisting of only a dozen men
or so, and the Germans were in occupation of the position as well, and
fired coloured lights to encourage the support of their artillery. They