his part of the line
was held by Scottish regiments, who, though they were forced out of
their trenches, regained them with the aid of other Scots who were
supporting them.

By now it was apparent to the British commanding officers that they
must still further lessen the projection of their salient. So on May
12, 1915, the Twenty-eighth Division was sent to the reserve. It had
experienced continuous fighting since April 22, 1915, and had
suffered severe losses. It had only one lieutenant colonel. Captains
were in command of most of its battalions. The First and Third Cavalry
Divisions took its place. They were under the command of General De
Lisle. From left to right the new line was held as follows: The men of
the Twelfth Brigade, the Eleventh Brigade, and a battalion of the
Tenth Brigade of the Fourth Division guarded the new front to a point
northeast of Verlorenhoek. Next came the First Cavalry which held the
line to the Roulers railroad. From the railroad to Bellewaarde Lake
the Third Division held the line. From the lake to Hill 60 the
Twenty-seventh Division had its position. The British admitted that
this new position was not strong, because it lacked natural
advantages, and the trenches were more or less of hasty construction.

The Germans started a heavy bombardment of the cavalry on May 13,
1915, when the rain was pouring in torrents and a north wind was
adding to the discomforts of the British. The fiercest part of this
attack was on the Third Division. Some idea of the fierceness of the
bombardment can be gained when it is known that in a comparatively
short space of time more than eight hundred shells were hurled on a
part of the British line which was not more than a mile in length. In
places the British were buried alive. In spite of the destructive
fire, the North Somerset Yeomanry, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel
Glyn, charged the Germans who were advancing on their trenches under
cover of the bombardment. The charge was effective, and the Teutons
were driven headlong toward their own trenches. But the German
artillery had the range of the Seventh Brigade on the right, and
poured upon it such a fire that it retreated several hundred yards,
leaving the right of the Sixth Brigade exposed. As soon as possible
the British made an attempt to remedy the defect in their line, and
found it necessary to make a counterattack. In this counterattack very
satisfactory results were obtained by the use of the Duke