rm turned its lashing rain upon their unprotected forms,
drenched them utterly and damped their spirits. A sense of some
indefinable presentiment of future dimmer crept over the mind, that
subtle consciousness of approaching death forced its black pessimism
upon their thoughts. They watched the heavy grey clouds scuttling
overhead, watched the rain dropping from off each man's steel helmet,
and gazed across the long desolate stretch of watery earth, tangled
debris and shattered cottages.

Shivering with the cold, wet, hungry and weary. An hour before, marching
elated in the knowledge of a few days' freedom from the haunting
knowledge of Life's uncertainty--now they were in for something they all
pregnantly felt would involve them in a slaughter that might place Finis
to the Battalion. The Cambrai survivors stared sadly into the closing
gloom ... they had gone through Rues Vertes--COULD their luck hold
twice!

The lorries moved away ... the Norman Ten Hundred went out again to
hang-on or fall, to uphold the traditions dearly bought by those who had
gone over the Divide a few months before.

If they could DO IT then, they could do it NOW.

XV

APRIL 10-14, 1918

DOULIEU-ESTAIRES

The Ten Hundred slept in their lorries at Berquin before moving into
billets. No sign of enemy activity presented itself apart from the
incessant rumble of distant guns. A Jerry 'plane came over on
reconnaissance, taking little precaution and not flying high. They had
unpleasant recollections of enemy 'planes, turned their rifles on him,
and between C and D Companies brought him down--they took the occupants
prisoners.

At five o'clock received orders to move up in the direction of Doulieu
in reserve. They dug in with the inadequate implement carried in all
equipment, accompanied only by an unnatural quiet. No troops were
falling back on them, no hurried retreat or artillery, and no fierce
strafing from enemy guns.

Throughout the night they stared far away into the East watching for the
enemy who was coming. The silence was still undisturbed, they waited
with fast-beating pulse for the long rows of onward, sweeping grey....

Dawn! And with it orders to move forward to Doulieu itself and there
fill in the gap.

Almost into the objective before they saw him. Grey-coated forms swarmed
for miles in relay upon relay of everincreasing rows, advanced with
deadly certainty, and supported by an astonishing mass of machine-guns.