t it, as did all the other dug-outs and
shelters in the line.

"A" Company were in support on the left flank.

The night of the relief was quiet, and except for continual desultory
gas shelling nothing of note occurred. Early on the 18th it was decided
that "D" Company should relieve "C" Company that night, partly because
the company was outside our Brigade area, but principally because "C"
Company was far too weak numerically for the extent of front it had to
hold, and even the posts were not sufficiently strongly garrisoned.
During the day "D" Company lent "C" Corpl. I. Ross and three men to form
a connecting link between the forward posts and their headquarters, and
these were posted about midway up the communication trench. The relief
was to be carried out as soon as it was dark enough to cover the
movement.

The enemy decreed otherwise. Just as we were about to "Stand To" in the
evening, a barrage of gas shell and high explosive came down on the
whole line. For three quarters of an hour it was impossible to enter the
main Hindenburg support trench. We could only sit in our dug-outs and
wonder what was happening. The stories we had heard of the Bosches being
in the third and fourth lines of our systems in the March advance,
before it was known that an attack was taking place, came vividly into
our minds, and our great anxiety was that we should not be caught like
rats in a trap.

Every telephone line in the system went "dis" in the first three
minutes, and it was quite impossible to find out what was happening
until the shelling should have moderated a little. We had just to rest
our souls in patience, and relight the candles as they were put out by
the concussion every time a shell struck the dug-out. This was the
constant occupation, both in the deep dug-outs and in the concrete faced
shelters in the main support line, and not for the first time we
blessed the Germans for the good solid workmanship of these dug-outs.

Shortly after the barrage came down details of the battalion on our
right began to pass the dug-out where "D" Company was located, and
Sergt. Meiklejohn, who was in charge there, at once got two platoons out
of their shelter, and formed a flank facing Moeuvres, reporting his
action. Beyond this movement, there was no information of any kind, but
from it we were able to judge that an attack had been made at least on
the right.

As soon as the shelling moderated, it was determined to carry throu