his stretcher-bearers were everywhere, and many who might otherwise have
bled to death, owed their lives to this marvellous man, who wandered
round and dressed their wounds wherever the shelling was hottest. At the
first opening of the battle our telephone lines to the Artillery were
broken, and for some time we could get no support, but the Derby
Howitzers and one of the Lincolnshire batteries fired a number of rounds
for us, and later, thanks to the efforts of Lieut. C. Morgan, R.F.A.,
the F.O.O., we were able to call on Major Meynell's Staffordshire
battery as well. By 7.15 a.m. all was once more quiet, and we spent the
rest of the day evacuating our casualties, and trying to clear away some
of the litter of straw from our trenches.

The following day passed quietly, and in the evening, relieved by the
Lincolnshires, we marched out of trenches. Ten minutes later the enemy
blew up trench "47" and opened heavy rifle fire on all sides of the
salient. The Battalion was marching by companies, and "A" and "D" had
just reached Manor Farm when the noise began, and bullets fell all round
them. Capt. Jefferies, who was leading, was hit almost at once and fell
mortally wounded, never again recovering consciousness, and several
others became casualties before the party could reach cover on the far
side of the Farm. "B" and "C" were still in Armagh Wood, so Colonel
Jones at once decided to man the new breastwork between it and Square
Wood, and there they remained until the situation became once more
quiet. Finally, at midnight, we moved into our Brigade Support
positions, Headquarters and "B" Company in Railway Dug-outs, "C" Company
in Deeping Dug-outs near the Lake, and the others in Kruisstraat
bivouacs. Even now we were not allowed to live in peace, for the
following morning, at 11.0 a.m., the enemy bombarded Railway Dug-outs
for two hours, firing 90 8" shells, and (so says the War Diary) "plenty
of shrapnel." No one was hit, though Col. Jones' dug-out and the Orderly