--the then accepted hour
for an attack--every man in the Battalion was awake and stood at his
post fully armed and equipped. This state of readiness was referred to
in "orders" as the "Stand To," and was observed morning and evening.
Thus the soldier remained until some 30 minutes later, when the order
"Stand Down" was passed along. On such occasions the absence of fuss and
noise in movement, it is generally agreed, is an indication that a unit
is well disciplined. One of our battalions momentarily went astray in
this respect, and its men in the front trenches, early one morning, were
treated to an unexpected touch of humour on the part of the enemy, from
whose locality a voice, in more or less perfect English, was heard
calling "Stand to, --th Battalion!"

[Illustration: IN THE FRONT LINE AT THE APEX.
_Photo. lent by Mr. A. J. Shipway._]

To the 28th the "Stand Down" brought some relaxation, both mental and
physical, as the rising of the sun restored sight to the sentries and
imparted increased confidence to the whole. Light revealed rather a
marked change in the appearance of individuals. The chill of the night
air had impelled many to put on their greatcoats. Some had even donned
their Balaclava caps, which, showing only the eyes, nose, and mouth of
the wearer, and surmounted by a hat or cap, gave a grotesque effect.
Clothing smeared with earth, eyes bloodshot for want of sleep, and
scrubby chins disclosed the need and benefit of, amongst other things, a
wash. Water for this was, however, not available except in small
quantities, and the man was lucky who secured one that day. The next
best thing was a meal, and this consisted of army biscuit and tinned
meat (bully beef) washed down by a small quantity of tea, which the
Quartermaster had sent up hot but which reached those who needed it in a
lukewarm condition.

[Illustration: EXCAVATING A "BIVVY" IN THE SUPPORT TRENCHES, THE APEX.
_Photo. lent by Mrs. H. Simm._]

Following that was the cleaning up of the trenches. This consisted of
collecting all scraps of food, empty tins, bits of paper, etc., and
removing from the floor the debris that had fallen from the walls, or
parapet and parados, during the previous 24 hours. Then came attention
to rifle and bayonet, which were to be kept free of obstruction and
rust. The reserve ammunition and bombs, some of which were open to the
air, had also to be wiped free of verdigris and dust so that they would
not jam or clog w