nklers and gongs were ready for use in every trench, but were
happily not needed.

Our men represented every Lancashire type, from the master builder to
the barrister's clerk, from the wheelwright to the calico printer, from
the railway carter to the commercial traveller. You would find together
in one traverse Sergeant J.V.H. Hogan, a well-read ex-Socialist devotee
of Union Chapel debates and old political opponent of my own, and
another sergeant, whose name I cannot now recall, but who had been the
petty officer of a South American liner sunk by the _Karlsruhe_ in the
early days of the War. Then we had famous footballers in Sergeants
Pearson and Bamber. The Territorial origin of the Battalion was, indeed,
a never-failing source of strength. Officers and men came from the same
place, enjoyed the same interests and possessed the same outlook. It
was pleasant to see in the trenches, faces familiar in my own suburb of
Fallowfield, and to chat with hundreds of men whose lives had touched
mine in days of peace.

The worth and capacity of these men were not peculiar to our unit, but
were common to the Manchester Brigade and the whole Division. One
battalion contained expert miners. Another battalion, at this time
commanded by Major (afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel) C.L. Worthington, had
lost enormously in their valiant battles. One of their captains--R.H.
Bedford--helped in our history lectures. Another battalion, under
Lieutenant-Colonel MacCarthy Morrogh, with Major H.C.F. Mandley as
Second in Command and Captain E. Horsfall as Adjutant, were our constant
neighbours and allies. With the Lancashire Fusiliers and East
Lancashires, and with the admirably run A.S.C. and R.A.M.C. we enjoyed a
slighter but no less hearty friendship.

The best relief from the long strain of the trenches was a bathe in the
sea, but any diversion while in rear of the firing line was
exhilarating. We used to gather on the moors that lay between
Geoghegan's Bluff and Bruce's Ravine, Turkish cartridge boxes made by
the Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken at Karlsruhe and labelled with
inscriptions in German and Turkish, innumerable spent Turkish
cartridges, abandoned Maeuser rifles, Turkish bandoliers (stamped with
the English name "Warner's") and all the usual fascinating debris of
battle.

[Illustration: C COMPANY, THE BRITISH CAMEL COMPANY, KHARTUM.]

On the 19th October I made a special expedition, with Captain C.E.
Higham, to the southern s