cross, and had a short memorial service for
the dead. On our return, we passed once more by Sanctuary Wood, and in
the daylight looked into the place torn and battered by shells and
reeking with the odours of unburied bodies.

We parted at Zillebeke Bund, and I made my way to Railway Dugouts. It
was a lovely morning and the air was so fresh that although I had been
walking all night I did not feel tired. The 3rd Battalion was holding
the line just behind a piece of ground which was called the "Bean and
Pollock." It was supposed that the Germans had mined the place and
that an explosion might be expected at any minute. One company had
built a rustic arbour, which they used as their mess-room. The bright
sun shone through the green boughs overhead. There was intermittent
shelling, but nothing to cause us any worry. I stayed till late in the
afternoon, when I made my way towards the rear of Hill 60. There I
found the 14th Battalion which was in reserve. They told me that the
16th Battalion in the line was going to blow up a mine that night, and
offered to give me a dugout if I would stay for the festivities. I
gladly accepted, and just before midnight made my way to a dugout that
had just been completed. I was told that there was a bed in it with a
wire mattress. When I got into the dugout, I lit a candle, and found
to my astonishment that the place was full of men lying on the (p. 126)
bed and the floor. They offered to get out but I told them not to
think of it. So we lit another candle, and had a very pleasant time
until the mine went up. We heard a fearful explosion, and the ground
rocked as it does in an earthquake. It was not long before the Germans
retaliated, and we heard the shells falling round us. At daybreak I
went up to the line to see the result of the explosion. A large crater
had been made in No Man's Land, but for some reason or other the side
of our trench had been blown back upon our own men and there were many
casualties.

I stayed in the trenches all afternoon, and on my way back went to an
artillery observation post on a hill which was crowned by the ruins of
an old mill. The place was called Verbranden Molen. Here I found a young
artillery officer on duty. The day was so clear that we were able to
spread out a map before us on the ground and with our glasses look up
every point named on the sheet. We looked far over to the North and saw
the ruins of Wieltje. Ypres lay to the left, and we could s