and
hurled a considerable distance away. Casualties to our establishment
mounted at a most alarming rate, and one night our B.C. was mortally
wounded by a high explosive shell, and, although such assistance as it
was possible to give was rendered, he did not survive long after
reaching the casualty clearing station. His loss was much felt, not
only by reason of his own cheerful personality, but also on account of
the way in which he inspired all those under him to do their utmost,
especially in times of stress and danger, when he always proved
himself a true leader. The Captain now succeeded to the command of the
battery, and the Senior Subaltern became second-in-command. It soon
became evident that we could not carry on much longer under these
conditions, and in the last week of September we were pulled out to
refit, and remained near the village of Herszeele for a few days
before again entering the fray.

Meanwhile a subaltern with a working party was busily occupied
preparing new emplacements for our reception, and on the day of their
completion he was wounded while riding his bicycle back to his billet:
thus we lost yet another officer. But, try as we would, it was
impossible to escape the vigilant eye of the enemy, who engaged
battery positions one after another, and the number of guns knocked
out was prodigious. Through a lucky chance it had been decided to take
the guns "in" at dawn, instead of during the night, and by reason of
this we escaped a most violent hostile bombardment which was directed
against the position, and which damaged at least two of the pits and
completely destroyed several dug-outs which the work party had
recently striven so hard to build. We set to work and repaired most of
the damage, and, whether or not it was the enemy thought he had
disposed of us thereby, at all events he did not repeat the
performance beyond subjecting us to the ordinary night harassing fire.

Another attack was impending, which again necessitated the forward (p. 058)
movement of all batteries, and this time we were more fortunate in the
selection of a site, and had several German pill-boxes in which to
live and take refuge. Owing to the congestion on the one and only good
road in the neighbourhood and the hostile shelling thereof, it was a
matter of luck to find ourselves safely installed behind Abri Wood,
and we immediately set out preparing for the new fight. Unfortunately,
the weather again came to the assistan