when the 50th Divisional observers were disbanded. Pte. King
went shortly afterwards back to the battalion. But both these men did
magnificent service in collecting intelligence during the remainder of
the war.

XXV

TRENCH WARFARE--VIS-CHERISY FRONT

From June till October 1917 the 50th Division held the line of trenches
running from the Hindenburg Line west of Fontaine-lez-Croisilles to
Cavalry Farm on the Arras-Cambrai Road. With heavy fighting going on in
Flanders this was a comparatively quiet part of the front. Our trenches
were good and got better every week, and the high ground about Wancourt
Tower Hill gave us excellent observation on the enemy's country,
especially towards the left. This part of the front was divided into
two sectors, and they were held by two out of the three brigades. So
that each brigade spent sixteen days in the line, and then eight days
in the rest area about Neuville Vitasse. Also each brigade held in turn
the trenches on the right, known as the Cherisy sector, and then the
trenches on the left, known as the Vis sector.

My time was given to Intelligence in the line and to Salvage when out
of the line.

Intelligence work included, selecting a convenient O.P. for the
Brigade observers and arranging and supervising the method of holding
it; making panoramic sketches for the observers; writing out the
Brigade Intelligence Report between 10 A.M. and noon every day;
supervising the work of the Battalion Intelligence Officers[14];
marking the Brigade Intelligence maps with all features of interest;
studying and cataloguing the aeroplane photographs which came in large
numbers every few days; destroying obsolete and useless documents (not
a small part of my job either!); and sending to the Machine-Gun
Officer, Major Morris, every week the targets for indirect machine-gun
fire at nights. Field work, i.e. actual observation and sketching,
formed really a comparatively small part of my duties, though I tried
to get up to the observation post once every day. The most important
part was office work--and I had a fair-sized shelter at each
Head-quarters, the walls covered with maps and the table loaded with
aeroplane photographs and reports of all kinds.

Besides the Corps and Divisional Intelligence Reports which came in
daily, there were Daily Reports from the two adjoining brigades, and
generally a goodly sheaf of miscellaneous papers from the Army
Intelligence Department. In this w