heir
permanent quarters. Beyond this again the surface is almost level for a
space, then it rises again with increasing gradient, past the lines of
the 1st Lowland Field Ambulance, to the ridge half a mile away, behind
which it drops precipitously to the sea.

In one of his earlier despatches, Sir Ian Hamilton very aptly likens the
configuration of the Peninsula between Achi Baba and Cape Helles to the
bowl of a huge spoon, with Achi Baba at the heel of the bowl and the
Cape at its toe. This Rest Camp of ours was near the toe and rather to
the left of the centre line; in full view of Achi Baba itself, but
screened to some extent from its lower slopes by an insignificant
intermediate crest-line about 200 yards to our front.

The so-called "trenches" as we found them, bore more resemblance to
hastily constructed strings of golf bunkers than to anything else on
earth. They did not appear to have been laid out on any definite plan.
Speaking generally they ran in long irregular lines from East to West,
the narrow strips of pathway between being broken here and there by
detached experimental efforts. The excavations were of all shapes and
sizes. They varied in depth from two to about six feet according to the
caprice of the designers and the energy of the most recent occupants.
One could not walk five yards in the dark without stepping or falling
into some sort of hole and drawing lurid language from an abruptly
wakened sleeper. The parapets were ragged, irregular, and rarely
bullet-proof. There was no suggestion of revetting; probably there were
not more than twenty sandbags in the area allotted to the Battalion.
Sandbags were scarce enough in all conscience in the fighting trenches,
and it was not surprising that none could be spared for the troops in
the back lines; any which might be available being required for such
semi-permanent works as Divisional and Brigade Headquarters and the
trenches occupied by the R.E. and other Divisional troops. Nor was there
any form of overhead cover. In some places the dangerous expedient of
under-cutting the sides had been resorted to to secure a little shelter.
Fortunately the undersoil was stiff, the sides of the trenches could be
cut quite perpendicular and in fine weather there was slight risk of the
under-cutting causing subsidences. Shade from the sun's heat could only
be obtained by stretching ground sheets or blankets overhead. These also
served to keep off the night dews.

The