easant gatherings there in an estaminet
which became a meeting place for officers. The Guards Division, among
other troops, were stationed in Poperinghe, so there was much variety
of life and interest in the town. "Talbot House," for the men, and the
new Officer's Club, presided over by Neville Talbot, were centres of
interest. The gardens at the back made very pleasant places for an
after-dinner smoke. There were very good entertainments in a theatre
every evening, where "The Follies," a theatrical company of Imperial
soldiers, used to perform. Poperinghe was even at that time damaged by
shells, but since then it has suffered more severely. The graceful
spire, which stood up over the plain with its outline against the sky,
has luckily been preserved. We had some very good rest billets for the
men in the area around Hooggraaf. They consisted of collections of
large wooden huts situated in different places, and called by special
names. "Scottish Lines," "Connaught Lines," and "Patricia Lines," were
probably the most comfortable. In fact, all along the various roads
which ran through our area different units made their homes.

Our military prison was in a barn about a mile from Headquarters. I
used to go there for service every Monday afternoon at six o'clock. By
that time, the men had come back from work. They slept on shelves, (p. 124)
one over another. The barn was poorly lighted, and got dark early in
the afternoon. The first time I took service there, I was particularly
anxious that everything should be done as nicely as possible, so that
the men would not think they had come under the ban of the church.
Most of their offences were military ones. The men therefore were not
criminals in the ordinary sense of the term. I brought my surplice,
scarf and hymn books, and I told the men that I wanted them to sing.
They lay on the shelves with only their heads and shoulders visible. I
told them that I wanted the service to be hearty, and asked them to
choose the first hymn. A voice from one of the shelves said--

"Here we suffer grief and pain."

A roar of laughter went up from the prisoners, in which I joined
heartily.

At the front, we held Hill 60 and the trenches to the south of it. In
a railway embankment, a series of dugouts furnished the Brigade that
was in the line with comfortable billets. The Brigadier's abode had a
fireplace in it. One of the dugouts was used as a morgue, in which
bodies were kept till they