ur very practical training in England had prepared us, in a measure,
for simple and primitive living. But even with such preparation we had
constantly to revise downward our standards. We lived without comforts
which formerly we had regarded as absolutely essential. We lived a life
so crude and rough that our army experiences in England seemed Utopian by
comparison. But we throve splendidly. A government, paternalistic in its
solicitude for our welfare, had schooled our bodies to withstand
hardships and to endure privations. In England we had been inoculated and
vaccinated whether we would or no, and the result was that fevers were
practically non-existent in the trenches. What little sickness there was
was due to inclement weather rather than to unsanitary conditions.

Although there were sad gaps in our ranks, the trench and camp fevers
prevalent in other wars were not responsible for them. Bullets, shells,
and bombs took their toll day by day, but so gradually that we had been
given time to forget that we had ever known the security of civilian
life. We were soon to experience the indescribable horrors of modern
warfare at its worst; to be living from morning until evening and from
dusk to dawn, looking upon a new day with a feeling of wonder that we had
survived so long.

About the middle of September it became clear to us that the big drive
was at hand. There was increased artillery activity along the entire
front. The men noted with great satisfaction that the shells from our own
batteries were of larger calibre. This was a welcome indication that
England was at last meeting the longfelt need for high explosives.

"Lloyd George ain't been asleep," some unshaven seer would say, nodding
his head wisely. "'E's a long w'ile gettin' ready, but w'en 'e _is_
ready, there's suthin' a-go'n' to drop!"

There was a feeling of excitement everywhere. The men looked to their
rifles with greater interest. They examined more carefully their
bandoliers of ammunition and their gas helmets; and they were thoughtful
about keeping their metal pocket mirrors and their cigarette cases in
their left-hand breast pockets, for any Tommy can tell you of miraculous
escapes from death due to such a protective armoring over the heart.

The thunder of guns increased with every passing day. The fire appeared
to be evenly distributed over many miles of frontage. In moments of
comparative quiet along our sector, we could hear them muttering and