n, is the story of the capture of Delville Wood by the 1st
Sportsman's Battalion in 1916, told by Major N.A. Lewis, D.S.O., M.C.:

"For two days before the fight the Battalion occupied some trenches
near Bernefay Wood, and sustained a number of casualties from
shell-fire. Battalion headquarters was a shelter dug in a bank at the
side of Bernefay Wood. This shelter was constructed by Albany, the
sculler, and as he was killed in the fight it was his last job as
dug-out constructor. Needless to say, he did this job excellently.

"For some hours before the Battalion moved off to take up its
position, the Huns shelled the area with gas shells. Fortunately,
however, just before 11 p.m., the time for starting, a breeze sprang
up, and we were able to move without wearing gas masks.

"The move up was not pleasant. The area had been much fought over, it
had been impossible to bury the dead for ten days, and it was a hot
July!

"Our artillery was firing to cover our move up. Just after passing
Longueval one of our shells dropped, unfortunately, near the platoon
which, with the C.O., I was following. As luck would have it, though,
only one man was badly wounded. The platoon, of course, went on, and
the C.O. went over to the man who had been hit.

"'It's hard lines, sir,' said the man.

"'I know it is,' said the C.O., 'but you will soon be all right. The
stretcher-bearers are coming.'

"'Oh, it's not that,' was the man's rejoinder. 'It's being hit now!
Here have I been all this time in France without having a real go at
the b----s, and now the chance has come, here I go and get knocked
out.'

"The C.O. made only one remark to me as we passed on. It was: 'Well,
if that's what the rest of the Battalion feels, I have no fears for
to-morrow.'

"We took up our position in a trench at the edge of the wood. This was
all that remained after the South Africans had been beaten back, and
our attack was to start at dawn on the following morning. This attack
was in two parts, two companies to take the first objective, a trench
in the centre of the wood, and two companies to capture the far edge,
and dig themselves in there. The 1/60th were on our right, each
battalion having half the wood allotted to it.

"The waves formed up in position shortly before dawn, and it was our
first experience of going over the top as a battalion. The men,
however, were quite cool and cheerful; in fact, one, named Lewis
Turner, asked me, 'How long to go