hide the erection
of my tripod and camera, and then at the moment the bombardment began it
was to be taken away, and I would risk the rest.

Just when the bullets came through I was bending to fasten the tripod
legs. A few seconds earlier and one or other of them would have surely
found my head. Getting some sandbags, we carefully pushed them on to the
parapet, in order to break the contact as much as possible, and we put
one in front of the camera in a direct line to cover the movement of my
hand while exposing. I was now ready. Raising my head above the parapet
for a final look, I noticed I was fully exposed to the right German
trenches, and was just on the point of asking Captain ---- if there was
any possibility of getting sniped from that direction when with a "zipp"
a bullet passed directly between our heads. Having obtained such a
practical and prompt answer to my enquiry, though not exactly the kind I
had expected, I had some more sandbags placed, one on top of the other,
to shelter my head as much as possible.

All I had to do now was to focus, and to do that I lifted the bottom
edge of the screen gently. In a few seconds it was done, and dropping
the screen, I waited for the first shot. I was warned by an observing
officer that I had still five minutes to spare. They were not bombarding
until 2.15. German shells were continually dropping all round. The part
of the hill down which we came was getting quite a lively time of it.
The enemy seemed to be searching every spot. On the right a Canadian
sniper was at work, taking careful aim. Turning to me, he said:

"Wall, sir, I bet that chap won't want any more headache pills."

The remark caused a good deal of laughter.

Boom--boom--boom. In rapid succession came two shells from our guns.
Everyone was alert. I sprang to my camera. Two men were standing by me,
ready to take down the screen. Boom came another shell, and at a sign
the men dropped the screen.

I was exposed to the full view of the German lines, from my shoulders
upwards.

I started exposing; the shells came in rapid succession, dropping right
in the middle of the Petite Douve. As they fell clouds of bricks and
other debris were thrown in the air; the din was terrific. Nothing in
the world could possibly have lived there. After about thirty shells had
been dropped there was a slight pause for about half a minute, during
which I continued turning the handle. The Germans were too occupied in
gettin