losses are
said to be moderate. The dreaded Boomerang collapsed and was stormed
with hardly a casualty. This was owing partly to the two trench mortars
lent us by the French and partly to the extraordinary fine shooting of
our own battery of 4.5 howitzers. The whole show went like
clockwork--like a Field Day. First the 87th Brigade took three lines of
trenches; then our guns lengthened their range and fuses and the 86th
Brigade, with the gallant Royal Fusiliers at their head, scrambled over
the trenches already taken by the 87th, and took the last two lines in
splendid style. We could have gone right on but we had nothing to go on
with. How I wish the whole world and his wife could have been here to
see our lines advancing under fire quite steadily with intervals and
dressing as on parade. A wonderful show!

As the 87th Brigade left the trenches at 11 a.m., the enemy opened a hot
shrapnel fire on them but although some men fell, none faltered as we
could see very well owing to the following device. The 29th attackers
had sewn on to their backs triangles cut out of kerosine tins. The idea
was to let these bright bits of metal flash in the sunlight and act as
helios. Thus our guns would be able to keep an eye on them. The
spectacle was extraordinary. From my post I could follow the movements
of every man. One moment after 11 a.m. the smoke pall lifted and moved
slowly on with a thousand sparkles of light in its wake: as if someone
had quite suddenly flung a big handful of diamonds on to the landscape.

At 11.30 the 86th Brigade likewise advanced; passed through the 87th and
took two more lines of trenches.

At mid-day I signalled, "Well done 29th Division and 156th Brigade. Am
watching your splendid attack with admiration. Stick to it and your
names will become famous in your homes."

At 1.50 I got a reply, "Thanks from all ranks 29th. We are here to
stay."

At 3.15 I ran across and warmly congratulated Hunter-Weston, staying
with him reading the messages until about 4 p.m. when I went on to see
Gouraud. Hunter-Weston, Gouraud and Braithwaite agree that:--_had we
only shell to repeat our bombardment of this morning, now, we could go
on another 1,000 yards before dark,--result, Achi Baba to-morrow, or, at
the latest, the day after; Achi Baba_ and fifty guns perhaps with, say,
10,000 prisoners.

At 5 p.m. Gouraud and I walked back to Hunter-Weston's G.H.Q. A load was
off our minds--we were wonderfully happy. At 5.30