The arrival of an officer reinforcement was always the signal for a
Boche strafe, and the return of the Colonel they celebrated with a two
days' "hate" instead of one. "A1" and "50" and their supports suffered
most, and much damage to trenches was done by heavy Minenwerfer, 8" and
5.9" shells. Towards evening the situation became quieter, but just
before 10 o'clock the Boche exploded a camouflet against one of our "A1"
mine galleries, and killed three Tunnellers, whose bodies we could not
rescue owing to the gasses in the mine, which remained there for more
than twenty-four hours. The next day the bombardment of "50" and "50S"
continued, and amongst other casualties, which were heavy, Capt. J.L.
Griffiths and 2nd Lieut. R.B. Farrer of "B" Company were both hit and
had to be evacuated, the one with 13, the other 35 small fragments of
shell in him. The enemy had now become so persistent that we asked for
help from our heavy artillery, and the following day--our last in the
line--we carried out several organized bombardments of important enemy
centres, such as "Hill 60," to which he replied with a few more large
"crumps" on "50" support and was then silent. In the evening the
Lincolnshires took our place, and, having lost 11 killed and 39 wounded
in 6 days, we marched back to rest at Dickebusch huts.

For some considerable time there had been many rumours about a coming
autumn offensive on our part, and on the 22nd September, having returned
to trenches two days previously, we received our first orders about it.
We were told nothing very definite except that the 3rd and 14th
Divisions would attack at Hooge, while we made a vigorous demonstration
to draw retaliation from their front to ourselves, and that there would
also be attacks on other parts of the British front. We were to make a
feint gas attack by throwing smoke-bombs and lighting straw in front of
our parapet, to frighten the Boche into expecting an attack along the