in front of every trench, so that our field guns and trench mortars were
kept hard at work almost all day every day in their efforts to cut
sufficient gaps for us. The enemy's guns replied by registering our
communication trenches, and then remained silent.

The camp at Warlincourt was uncomfortable, and had no officers' mess, a
luxury which we much needed. However, Colour-Serjeant Collins displayed
his usual skill, and, while Major Toller fixed up a home-made marquee of
wagon sheets and odd tarpaulins, he managed to carry on the cooking
almost in the open. In spite of the rain which came through the roof and
under the sides we had some excellent evenings, and managed to enjoy
ourselves. Our work was mostly training, which now included rapid
wiring. In this we held a competition, finally won by "B" Company, who
put out a "double apron" French wire fence 20 yards long in just over
four minutes--a good performance, though the other Companies declared
that this fence would not have stopped a rabbit, to say nothing of a
Boche. Meanwhile, Major Toller suddenly received orders to report to the
51st Division to command a battalion of the Argyle and Sutherland
Highlanders, and, much to his disgust, had to leave us just before the
fight. In any case he would have been out of the fight, for the
authorities had at last realized the madness of sending a whole
Battalion into action, and to avoid a repetition of the
post-Hohenzollern difficulties, every Battalion was ordered to leave
behind, at Souastre, the 2nd in Command and a proportion of officers,
N.C.O.'s and specialists. These, known as the "Battle Details," were
subsequently increased in number, and later a G.H.Q. publication fixed
exactly who would and who would not accompany a battalion into battle.
As Major Beasley had left us at Vimy and not returned, Capt. Shields
became 2nd in Command and had to stay behind, a cruel blow to him, for
he was essentially a fighting man. His Company, "D," was taken by Lieut.