left the dressing-room they were passed on to our
Y.M.C.A., where we supplied them with various
kinds of refreshments free. It was my great
privilege to serve the first patient, who had a
broken arm, with a freshly-made cup of tea and a
sandwich, and never shall I forget his look and
words of appreciation. Some were too ill to eat
anything for a time, especially those who had been
gassed or were suffering from shell-shock, but
they were very glad of a seat on the grass in the
shade of our tent. Some were so badly wounded that
they were unable to speak, while others were half
deaf and dumb as the result of shock. It was
pathetic to see such men scribbling their request
for a drink on a piece of paper. All were loud in
their praise of the Y.M.C.A. and many were quite
overcome when they realised that the tea,
lemonade, cigarettes, and various kinds of
eatables were provided free. One Scottish New
Zealander, whose father is a well-known seed
merchant in Edinburgh, declared that the Y.M.C.A.
was the greatest thing in the war. In addition to
attending to the needs of the "inner man"--and
some of them we had to feed like babies, as both
hands were wounded--we wrote letters and field
cards for them, and tried in every possible way to
add to their comfort. The spirit manifested by the
majority of them was simply splendid, and scarcely
ever did they refer to their own suffering and
hardships.'

CHAPTER VII

IN THE TRAIL OF THE HUN

It has given me great pleasure to learn of the
development of the Y.M.C.A. work in France and
England during the last six months. In particular
I am very glad to hear of the successful growth of
the experiment begun at Aire.

No one can be long in this country without
realising the immense value of your organisation,
and the constant extension of your activities
itself testifies to the high regard in which it is
held by our soldiers.--FIELD-MARSHAL SIR DOUGLAS
HAIG.

[Illustration: THE RED TRIANGLE IN THE SUPPORT TRENCHES]

THE history of the British Empire has been written ove