were detached: Corporal Livesey took his
bombers with Brogden's platoon to mop up a dug-out beyond Wurst Farm,
and Lance-Corporal Heap was sent with his rifle grenadiers to 15
Platoon. On my left was a platoon, commanded by Sergeant Whalley, of the
1/6th Cheshires. They belonged to the 118th Brigade of the 39th Division
of Maxse's XVIII Corps--so, you see, I was on the extreme left of Sir
Herbert Watts's XIX Corps. It was Cuthbert's 39th Division that was to
take St. Julien. We were to go through Fortuin and leave St. Julien just
on our left. On the right of our division was the 15th Division. Behind
us, in the Watou area, was Nugent's 36th (Ulster) Division, ready to go
through us in a day or two. The 15th Division is entirely Scottish. So
much for Gough's dispositions for the battle.

"Zero was fixed for 3.50 in the morning. As the moment drew near how
eagerly we awaited it! At 3.50 exactly I heard a mine go up, felt a
slight vibration, and, as I rushed out of the little dug-out in which I
had been resting, every gun for miles burst forth. What a sight! What a
row! The early morning darkness was lit up by the flashes of thousands
of guns, the air whistling and echoing with shells, the calm atmosphere
shaken by a racket such as nobody who has not heard it could imagine!
The weird ruins of Ypres towered fantastically amongst the flashes
behind us. In every direction one looked guns were firing. In front of
us the 166th and 165th Brigades were dashing across no man's land,
sweeping into the enemy trenches, the barrage creeping before them. I
stood on the parados of Liverpool Trench and watched with amazement. It
was a dramatic scene such as no artist could paint.

"Before the battle had been raging half an hour German prisoners were
streaming down, only too glad to get out of range of their own guns! I
saw half a dozen at the corner of Liverpool Trench and Garden Street.
They seemed very happy trying to converse with us. One of them--a boy
about twenty--asked me the nearest way to the station; he wanted to get
to England as soon as possible!

"The Tanks went over. As daylight came on the battle raged furiously.
Our troops were still advancing. Messages soon came through that St.
Julien had been taken.

"Our time was drawing near. At 8.30 we were to go over. At 8 we were all
'standing to' behind the parapet waiting to go over. Colonel
Best-Dunkley came walking along the line, his face lit up by smiles more
pleasant t