"Hill 60"--Sanctuary Wood front. Capt. Burnett and his transport were,
therefore, ordered to bring up wagon-loads of straw, much to their
annoyance, for they already had a bad journey every night with the
rations, and extra horses meant extra anxiety. It was seldom that the
transport reached Armagh Wood without being shelled on an ordinary
night, and whenever there was fighting in any part of the Salient, the
area round Maple Copse became so hot that they had to watch for an
opportunity and gallop through. In spite of this they never failed us,
and rations always arrived, even in the worst of times.

On the 23rd there were two preliminary bombardments, one short but very
heavy at Hooge, the other lasting most of the morning on "Hill 60"--a
bluff. During the night it rained and the arrival of our straw was
consequently postponed until the following night, which proved to be
little better. The wagons were late and there was not much time to
complete our task; however, all worked their utmost, and by 1.0 a.m. on
the 25th a line of damp straw had been spread along our wire in front of
"50." Unfortunately, the Battalion on our right were unable to put their
straw in position in time, but as the Brigade beyond them had theirs, we
thought this would not make any difference to the operation. Just before
daylight a general order from G.H.Q. arrived, starting with the words,
"At Dawn, on the 25th September, the British Armies will take the
offensive on the Western Front." We felt that the time had now come when
the war was going to be won and the Boche driven out of France, and some
of us were a little sorry that our part was to consist of nothing more
than setting fire to some damp straw.

At 3.50 a.m. Hooge battle started with an intense artillery bombardment
from every gun in the salient, and it was an inspiring sight to stand on
the ridge behind "50" trench and watch, through the half-light, the line