dian Corps to take over the line now held by the 2nd Corps.
The 2nd Corps was to fall back to Bailleul in reserve.

On the morning of the 28th I had got a message from General de
Maud'huy, commanding the 10th French Army on our right. It was sent
through the French Mission, and was to the effect that he was very
anxious about his left flank. He added some criticism of his own for
my consideration.

The 6th Division under Keir scored a success on the 28th. On their
front, just south of Armentieres, they repulsed a severe
counter-attack in which the enemy left several hundred dead in front
of their trenches.

The supply of ammunition now began to cause me increasing anxiety, and
my apprehension under this head continued more or less throughout the
whole period of my Command in France.

October 29th witnessed the opening of that most critical stage in the
first period of the war, to which I have already referred.

At nine in the morning of that day the centre of the Ypres salient,
held by the 1st and 7th Divisions, was attacked in the neighbourhood
of Gheluvelt by large masses of the enemy, who forced back our troops
on the latter place. Well organised counter-attacks, which were
splendidly led, repulsed the enemy during the day with heavy
casualties. By nightfall the 1st and 7th Divisions had recovered all
the ground they had lost, and the position that night (October 29)
was somewhat as follows:--

The Seventh and part of the First Division held a line which extended
on the left from a point about five hundred yards north of the
cross-roads on the Ypres-Menin road, and ran thence south through the
cross-roads to the village of Kruiseij on the right, where the Seventh
Division joined up with the cavalry. This line was well to the east of
Gheluvelt, and consequently represented a considerable gain as
compared with the ground held the day before.

The left or northern portion of Haig's line extended slightly to the
west of Reutel and Poezelhoek (both these places being held by the
enemy), and was continued by the Second Division to the east of
Zonnebeke Station, where they joined the right of the Ninth French
Corps. The attacking troops consisted of the Twenty-seventh German
Reserve Corps and the Sixth Bavarian Division, which suffered a very
severe check; their losses were known to be heavy. In the middle of
the day I sent Haig the London Scottish, which was the only reserve I
had left. They were moved in motor om