here were still plenty of old French folk, who
lived quietly on amid the surrounding strife, and continued to keep
their cows in the fields and to cultivate the land. The church had not
been shelled, for a wonder, and the clock was still going and striking
the hours.

The observers sent up two parties of two men every day to an O.P.
north-east of Hebuterne. The other men manned a battle O.P. on the
Bayencourt Ridge during the morning.

April 23, St. George's Day, provided a little excitement for three of
us. We were told to try to find an O.P. near the Quarries at
Hebuterne, not generally a very healthy spot. As we were shelled
incessantly all the time we were near the place, the idea of
establishing a post here was abandoned. And eventually another post
was fixed on, on the north-east side of Hebuterne. Some useful work
was done here by the observers; they obtained some valuable
information about enemy movement and got the artillery to shell a
relief that was taking place. At the close of our tour in the line,
which occurred about May 4, the IV Corps directed all Infantry
observers to take sound bearings of enemy guns and to wire them at
once to the Counter-Battery Office. This was gratifying, as we had
made a special effort to report these sound bearings, a system of
which I had learnt something in the Salient.

From May 4 to June 9 the Division remained in the rest area about
Couin. The observers left Bayencourt and joined the 7th N.F. at
Coigneux, where we lived in tents on the high chalky ground south of
Rossignol Farm. I messed with the officers of A Company, and shared a
tent with Lieut W.H. Fisher and 2nd-Lieut Dodd. Owing to the bombing
and shelling in the neighbourhood, we were ordered to fortify our
tents. So we had a small trench dug for each inside the tent and in
these we put our valises. It was rather like a shallow grave, but it
gave you a feeling of security when bits were flying about. During
this month the observers had a little mild training each day; but the
G.O.C. sent word to me to rest the men as much as possible. I amused
myself at the battle O.P. on Bayencourt Ridge and sent in daily
reports of sound bearings to the IV Corps Counter-Battery Office.

On the whole the enemy let our camp fairly well alone. We had one
large bomb dropped in the camp, but it failed to do any material
damage. Latterly the 4-inch naval guns took to sending a few shells
over daily, but we had only a few men wounded