ain. Of this attack the Brigade has no need
to be ashamed, although by the afternoon of the same day the remnants
of its brave soldiers were withdrawn to the starting point. The 7th
N.F. on the left had a shorter distance to go than the rest, but on
their left flank was the Forest of Houthulst full of German snipers.
On the right were the 4th N.F. and in the centre the 5th N.F.

Each battalion had to attack across a treacherous swamp, and each was
confronted by a row of unbroken concrete pill-boxes, carefully
concealed from aerial observation. Each battalion made ground, but
each battalion was mowed down in heaps by the machine-guns in the
pill-boxes. I have nothing now to give as an estimate of the
casualties, except the officer casualties of the 7th N.F. Twelve
officers of the 7th N.F. went over the top that morning, and one
returned alive, Lieut Affleck. The others were all killed. It gives
some idea of the spirit of these gallant fellows, when I relate that
Lieut Affleck was preparing a further attack on the German pill-boxes
at the time he was ordered to return with the remnants of the
shattered brigade. The three battalions all suffered the heaviest
losses, but I have now no details except those I have given above.
Lieut. Odell, the Brigade Signalling Officer, and his men did wonders
in keeping the battalions in touch with B.H.Q. during the battle, and
for his great personal gallantry on this occasion he received a Bar to
his M.C. The shattered remnants of the battalions were drawn out of
the fighting zone and given billets not far from the Yser Canal. Even
here bad luck followed the 5th N.F., for a long-range shell crashed
into one of the huts at Rose Camp and caused forty more casualties.
In the transport lines on the west side of the Yser Canal Capt.
Neville, the Q.M. of the 7th N.F., was killed by a bomb next day. An
old soldier with a wonderful record of service, he had preferred to
stick to his battalion instead of taking promotion. I have already
called him the prince of quarter masters. I had also to lament him as
a very kind and generous friend.

We now received orders to retire to the rest area about Ondank, and on
October 26 I was sent to take over a camp for B.H.Q. On the way I
called at D.H.Q. at Elverdinghe Chateau, where I was very courteously
received by the 'Q' Staff--Col. Cartwright and Major McCracken--who
made many sympathetic inquiries after the officers in the Brigade.

We were now quarter