1916]

"Yes, sir, I do; and from the first line if possible. I want to
improve on the Battle of the Somme film. What time does it come off?"

"I don't know; but if you will call on--mentioning a captain at the
Headquarters of one of the corps--he will be able to put you right on
the section of the attack." With that information I left, and packing my
apparatus left for Headquarters. The captain was there.

"You are the 'movie' man, eh? Come in. Now tell me what you want."

"Where is the attack taking place, and at what time?" I asked.

"Look here," he said, unfolding a map, "this is our objective," pointing
to a certain place. "We are going to get up to the yellow line, and I
suggest that you go to ---- Brigade Headquarters. They are in a wood
just below ---- Redoubt. I will ring up the General and tell him you are
coming. He will give you all the information and assistance you require.
They know the ground more intimately than we do back here. You are
prepared to stay up there, of course?"

"Of course," I said. "I always carry my blanket with me."

"Well it comes off on the fifteenth, rather early in the morning. The
General will give you zero hour."

"Do you know the exact time?" I said. "Do you think it will be too early
for me--so far as the light is concerned?" I added hurriedly, with a
laugh.

"Well no. I think you will just manage it," he said.

Thanking him I hurried off to Brigade Headquarters. They were in an old
German dug-out of huge dimensions. There were three distinct floors or
rather corridors, one above the other. The galleries wound in and around
the hill-side, and the bottom one must have been at the depth of eighty
feet. Scottish troops were in the trenches, which were being held as
support lines. I entered the dug-out, and around a long table was seated
the General and his staff.

"General ----, sir?" I enquired.

"Yes," he said; "come in, will you? You are 'Movies,' aren't you? They
have just rung me up. Have some lunch and tell me what you want."

During lunch I explained my mission.

"Well," he said, "I am glad you are giving us a show. There is no need
to tell you what the Scottish battalion have accomplished."

Lunch finished, the General with the Brigadier-Major went into details
as to the best position from which I could see the show.

"I want, if possible, to get an unobstructed view of the Brigade front."

"'---- Trench,' is the place," he said. "What do you say? you know