on the 23rd of April, and a great many
interesting facts were connected with it. The 23rd of April is St.
George's Day. It is also the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth and of
his death, and also of the 2nd Battle of Ypres. The day was a glorious
one. The air was sweet and fresh, the grass was the brightest green,
hedgerows and trees were in leaf, and everybody was in high spirits.
After services in St. George's church I rode over to Poperinghe and
attended a memorial service which the 1st Brigade were holding in the
Cinema. General Mercer, who himself was killed not long afterwards,
was one of the speakers. The building was crowded with men, and the
service was very solemn.

Life at this time was very pleasant, except for the fact that we never
knew what might happen when we were in the Salient. We always felt
that it was a death-trap, and that the Germans would never give up
trying to capture Ypres. I was kept busy riding about, visiting the
different units. Round about Hooggraaf the spring roads were very
attractive, and the numerous short cuts through the fields and under
the overhanging trees reminded one of country life at home.

One day Dandy bolted as I was mounting him, and I fell on some bath
mats breaking a bone in my hand and cutting my face in several places.
This necessitated my being sent up to the British C.C.S. at Mont des
Cats. Mont des Cats was a picturesque hill which overlooked the Flanders
Plain, and could be seen from all parts of the Salient. On the top
there was a Trappist monastery. The buildings were modern and covered
a large extent of ground. They were solidly built of brick and stone
and the chapel was a beautiful building with a high vaulted roof. From
the top of the hill, a magnificent view of the country could be
obtained, to the North as far as the sea, and to the East as far as
our trenches, where we could see the shells bursting.

Mont des Cats hospital was a most delightful temporary home. There was
a large ward full of young officers, who were more or less ill (p. 129)
or damaged. In another part of the building were wards for the men.
From the O.C. downwards everyone in the C.C.S. was the soul of kindness,
and the beautiful buildings with their pleasant grounds gave a peculiar
charm to the life. My room was not far from the chapel, and every
night at two a.m. I could hear the old monks chanting their offices.
Most of the monks had been conscripted and were fighting in the Fr