ween
Cormette and Boisdinghem. When we got back to the Salient we understood
Haig's plan to be that Gough's Army should smash forward from Ypres,
that there should be a French Army on Gough's left, and that Rawlinson's
Fourth Army should land upon, or push up, the Belgian Coast at precisely
the same moment as Gough struck north from the Ypres Salient. That plan
commended itself to me as highly satisfactory. But one always has to
reckon with an enemy as well! I do not know whether Armin got wind of it
or not, but he effectively thwarted Haig by doing precisely the kind of
thing I expected he would do. Rawlinson's Army was engaged and driven
back at Nieuport, thus disorganizing his plans; and Ypres--the other
flank--was intensely bombarded with high explosives and gas shells on
that never-to-be-forgotten night of July 12-13. The gas casualties in
Ypres who were taken to hospital on July 13 were, I was told, 3,000! A
much higher figure than I thought at first. A day or two after these
events Gratton came in to us at the Ramparts and casually informed us
that the Coast idea was postponed: the battle was going to be fought
north and south of Ypres only. The Coast landing was going to take place
later if the Third Battle of Ypres should prove a success--of which, of
course, no patriot could entertain any doubts! Rawlinson was not ready.
Nieuport was to me sufficient explanation for that. And Beatty was not
ready! That I do not understand. I was very disappointed, indeed, when I
heard this news, as I was not very hopeful as to the chance of success
in any battle fought in the centre. A flanking movement is, in my
opinion, the best policy; and the original idea would have meant, if a
landing had been effected, a triangular advance which would have left
before Armin only two alternatives--retreat or surrender. But attrition
seems to be far more in Robertson's line than strategy! So the Third
Battle of Ypres has begun. And, unless things change very quickly, I am
bound to say that it is not a success. So much for the general idea.

"During our twenty days in the Ypres Salient, from July 1 to July 20, we
suffered very heavily in casualties; and when we came out we were
certainly not strong enough to go into battle. So while we were at
Valley Camp, Watou, we were reinforced by large drafts. And, in
accordance with the above plans, we left Watou on the night of July 25
and marched to Query Camp, near Brandhoek, but on the left of the