collected were one or two poles, a sheet of
corrugated iron (ear-marked as a roof for a signal station), and a few
yards of wire-netting. There was not a house or a building of course
in the country-side, and as our neighbours were as badly off as we
were, there was no scope for the enterprising.

Our first turn only lasted four days, and we had hardly a casualty
until an hour or two before we were to move back into support. The
support trenches were very much less comfortable than the front line,
and as there were lots of parties to go up at all hours of the day and
night to dig and wire in front, it took a lot of scheming to get
everyone satisfactorily fixed with water and food. We also had to send
out officers' patrols to fix the Turkish line, as we were intending to
have a dash at capturing his barrier across the Azmac Dere--a dry
watercourse which ran right through both the Turkish and our
lines--and so straighten out our line. Patrolling was very
difficult--there were no landmarks to guide one, the going was
exceedingly prickly, and at that time the place was full of Turkish
snipers, who came out at dusk and lay out till morning in the broken
and shell-pitted country. We soon got the better of these sportsmen
though--our snipers out-sniped them, and our bombing officer, if he
frightened them with his catapults and other engines of offence half
as much as he frightened us, must also be given credit for a share in
dispersing them.

[Illustration: GEBEL-EL-GHENNEIM, KHARGEH OASIS.
_To face page 18_]

[Illustration: THE HIGHLAND BARRICADE, ASMAK DERE, SUVLA.
_To face page 18_]

A squadron (Major de Pree) and the bombing squad under Mr A.C. Smith,
in conjunction with a squadron of 2nd Lovat Scouts, carried out the
raid on the Dere on the night of the 17th/18th October. It was a
complete success--all the Turks holding the barrier being killed by
the bombing party, and about sixty or seventy yards of new trench
being dug the same night. This little exploit was the subject of
congratulations from both the Divisional and Corps Commanders,
Major-General W. Peyton and Major-General Sir Julian Byng. Mr Smith
got the M.C., and Lance-Sergeant J. Valentine and Private W. Roger
the D.C.M. for that night's work.

The Brigade was then due for relief, but we wanted to finish the job
of straightening the line before we went, so we stayed on to the end
of the month, by which time the work was practically complete. During
this