trenches ran through the eastern suburbs. Having "debussed," we marched
to le Bizet, a little village a mile north of the town, and stayed there
in billets for the night. During the evening we stood outside our
billets, gazed at the continuous line of flares and listened to the
rifle fire, imagining in our innocence that there must be a terrific
battle with so many lights.

The next day our instruction started, and for four days we worked hard,
trying to learn all we could about trench warfare from the 12th Brigade,
to whom we were attached. While some went off to learn grenade throwing,
a skilled science in those days when there was no Mills but only the
"stick" grenades, others helped dig back lines of defence and learned
the mysteries of revetting under the Engineers. Each platoon spent 24
hours in the line with a platoon either of the Essex Regt., King's Own
or Lancashire Fusiliers, who were holding the sector from "Plugstreet"
to Le Touquet Station. It was a quiet sector except for rifle fire at
night, and it was very bad luck that during our first few hours in
trenches we lost 2nd Lieut. G. Aked, who was killed by a stray bullet in
the front line. There was some slight shelling of back areas with
"Little Willies," German field gun shells, but these did no damage, and
gave us in consequence a useful contempt for this kind of projectile.
Trench mortars were not yet invented, and we were spared all heavy
shells, so that, when on the 9th we left Armentières, we felt confident
that trenches, though wet and uncomfortable, were not after all so very
dreadful, and that, if at any time we should be asked to hold the line,
we should acquit ourselves with credit.

Our next home was the dirty little village of Strazeele, which we
reached by march route, and where we found Lieut. E.G. Langdale who
rejoined us, having finished his disembarkation duties. Here we occupied