k, and my companion and I had to feel our way along
the street not knowing who or what we might bump into, and expecting
every moment that the Germans would begin to shell the place as soon
as they thought we had had time to find billets there. At last to our
great relief, we came to a large gateway in a brick wall and found
some of our men, who told us that the M.O. had made his dressing
station in the cellar of a building to the right. We went down into it
and came upon a place well lighted with candles, where the devoted
M.O. and his staff were looking after a number of men on stretchers.

The Germans were determined that we should not have a quiet night and
very soon, as we had expected, they began to shell the village. The
dressing station was in a building which they themselves had used for
the same purpose, so they knew its location, and shells began to fall
in the yard. We got all the men we could down to the cellar; but still
there were some stretcher cases which had to be left in the rooms
upstairs. It was hard to convince them that there was no danger.
However the "straffing" stopped in time, and I went down to the end of
the cellar and slept in a big cane-seated chair which the Germans had
left behind them. In the morning I went back again to our men in the
line. The 10th Battalion had established themselves partly in a ditch
along the Cambrai road not far from Epinoy, and partly in outposts
behind the German wire. The country was undulating, and in places
afforded an extensive view of the forward area. German machine-gun
emplacements were in all directions, and our men suffered very
severely. I was in an outpost with one of the companies when I saw in
the distance one of our men crawling on his hands and knees up to a
German machine-gun emplacement. The helmets of the enemy could be
distinctly seen above the parapet. It was very exciting watching the
plucky fellow approach the place of danger with the intention of
bombing it. Unfortunately just as he had reached the side of the
trench the Germans must have become aware of his presence, for they
opened fire, and he had to crawl back again as fast as he could.

Though many wounded were brought in, we knew that some were still
lying out on the other side of the wire in full view of the enemy. As
soon as it was dark enough, a bearer party, which I accompanied,
started off to try and collect these men. With my cane I managed to
lead the party through a gap in t