irection--100 yards each
four minutes--to F 11 a 4.0 to F 11 d 2.5.... Dwell twenty minutes....
Then creep 100 yards each four minutes to F 11 b 1.3 to F 11 d 8.7....
4.5 hows. on Sart Farm.... Open at Rapid Rate on start-line for first
four minutes.... Then go to Normal Rate for the creep, and Slow on
final protective barrage.... Is that clear?... Right!... Good-bye."

I had repeated the map co-ordinates as the brigade-major gave them, and
had written them down; and the colonel, coming in to the mess, followed
the telephone conversation on his map. I handed him my note-book, and
for five minutes he worked in his rapid silent way, with his ivory
pocket-rule and scale for measuring map co-ordinates. Then he told the
telephonist on duty to get him each battery in turn; and the Brigade
was soon a stage nearer in its preparations for supporting the Infantry
brigade selected to make the attack.

Ten minutes later the brigade-major again rang up to say that the how.
battery was required to fire smoke-shells on certain points.

Before the fight began the colonel made a tour of the batteries. The
party sent to the German camp returned with forms and tables, and
plenty of corrugated iron and boards; and it was while I was detailing
a party of them to dig a sleeping-place for the colonel farther into
the bank that a group of officers, headed by a red-tabbed staff
captain, came along. Even if I had not recognised him from his
portraits--or because two winters before the war he and I stayed in the
same hotel at Nice--there was no doubt as to his identity. Name and
title appeared written in indelible pencil on his box-respirator. He
told me he was looking for a headquarters for his brigade, and he had
heard that the sunken road was a likely spot. "I don't know how long
we shall be here," I replied, "but we intend to carry out as many
improvements as possible. It will be a decent place to take over when
we leave." And I indicated the digging party. "Ernest," as usual, was
extremely affable, and received any amount of petting and patting from
the visiting officers. Just as they departed the assistant brigade
clerk came to me with a batch of men's leave warrants. I went into the
mess, and was occupied signing the warrants and other documents for ten
minutes or so. When I came out there was no sign of "Ernest." Ten
minutes later the attack started and the air was fluttered with the
swish and scream of shells.

An hour passed. The co