eplied with Lancashire directness, "Ay, we started it, so we may as
well finish it." There was a good deal of peace-talk flying about.
German prisoners had admitted that they could not go on much longer,
while rumours about conferences were very prevalent. Still, until we got
orders to stop fighting, this job had to continue, and that was the
chief consideration for us, although the order to cease fire would have
been keenly appreciated.

Early morning found us on trek in a steady downpour of rain which made
our already wet clothes more and more sodden. In this doleful fashion we
splashed along over the muddy forest tracks to get close to the East
Lancs. who were carrying out an attack. The 8th Manchesters had a
particularly stern time, encountering nests of machine guns which had
not been cleared from their exposed flanks, so that they lost very
heavily. Nevertheless, the attack was eventually pushed home, and the
Huns were dislodged. Subsequent events revealed that from this moment
the German retirement became a scurry of a disorganised rabble. The
roads were blocked by their hurrying transport, and personnel simply
made the best use of their legs, scampering across country where it was
impossible to march on the roads. The civilians told us that utter
confusion reigned everywhere. Our foremost troops undoubtedly met
determined resistance from the machine gunners, but they were probably
blissfully ignorant of what was taking place behind them.

As far as the 7th was concerned November 6th was one of the most
miserable and trying days ever experienced. In the middle of the morning
we arrived at our position, where we stayed during the whole of the day
in a bitterly cold rain with no possibility of shelter. When it was
ascertained that the enemy had been dislodged we made a few fires and
tried to restore life to our numbed bodies. The divisional commander,
having seen our condition, and realising that very few in the brigade
would be fit for fighting after two such days, ordered up the 125th
brigade, who had had an opportunity of getting dry and warm. We marched
joyfully back in the middle of the night to Le Carnoy and there spent
two days in billets.

The advance of the 42nd was now rapid. Hautmont, a fairly large
manufacturing town, was captured after street fighting, and by the
evening of November 9th an outpost line had been established south-east
of Maubeuge. The 7th meanwhile had marched up through the forest an