iction into many a thick, egotistical, unsensitive head. But,
as has been wisely said, you cannot half make a war of the modern sort,
you cannot let a faint savour of regret hang about all your actions, and
enervate your will. And, in plain, brutal truth, our employment of gas
was a big factor in determining and hastening the end. Of the military
efficiency of our gas tactics we had much evidence later on.

We joined in the second part of the gas bombardment in the early hours
of the 15th of June, and, when this was nearly over, I got orders to
fire at my leisure ten rounds of high explosive at "Archibald," which
was our code name for a certain Austrian searchlight, which used to
sweep round the country from the summit of Monte Mosciagh on the far
side of the Plateau. So I fired the ten rounds, and the officer at one
of the O.P.'s, whom I had previously warned of my intention, reported
that Archibald had gone out after the fourth round, and that, judged by
the flashes of their explosions, all the rounds had seemed pretty near.
It was now nearly half-past three, and, conscious that I had a high and
rising temperature, I determined to lie down and get a few hours' sleep.
Some of the gas shell which had been intended for the first part of the
bombardment, but had arrived about four hours too late, was still being
unloaded from lorries on the road outside. But I asked a Corporal to
look after this, and send the unloading party to bed as soon as they had
finished.

I had just fallen asleep when the Corporal awakened me. Were the men, he
asked, to go on unloading the shell? Still half asleep, I asked why not?
He said that the road was being shelled. I pulled myself together and
went to the door of the Command Post. Not only the road, but the whole
Battery position and apparently the whole area for some distance round,
was being bombarded very violently. So I ordered every one to take
cover. It was just 3.45 a.m.

I thought for a moment that this was merely Austrian retaliation for our
first use of gas and for the shots at Archibald. In fact, it was the
beginning of the big Austrian offensive, which had long been
prearranged. During the last few days the Austrians had brought up a
large number of new guns to our sector, and had placed a number of them
right out in the open. And owing to the thick fog our airmen had been
able to see nothing. The bombardment continued with great fury for
several hours, with guns of all calibre