dges--six in all. Huge iron girders had arrived from back behind;
they had been made in readiness for "The Day." Our H.Q. had known that
the Germans in their inevitable retreat would destroy the bridges, so,
to save time, duplicates were built in sections, ready to throw across
the gap.

I managed to arrive in time to film several squadrons of the Duke of
Lancaster's cavalry hurrying forward to harass the enemy. Cyclist
patrols were making their way over. I hurried as fast as possible
through the ruins of Brie and on to the ridge beyond. In the distance I
watched our cavalry deploying in extended order and advance towards a
wood to clear it of the enemy rearguards. Motor-cyclists, with their
machine-guns, were dashing up the hill anxious to get into contact with
the flying enemy. I filmed many scenes in this section.

I looked along the road which was the main one into St. Quentin; it
stretched away as far as the eye could see. The condition is certainly
excellent, I thought. There would be a greater possibility of obtaining
exciting scenes if it were possible to proceed in my car; the only
question was whether the temporary bridges across the Somme were
capable of sustaining the weight. The possibility of getting into
villages just evacuated by the Germans spurred me on, so retracing my
steps, I reached the river again.

"Do you think the bridge will take the weight of my car?" I asked an
officer in charge of engineers.

"What is it?"

"Daimler," I replied.

"Well," he said, "there is a risk, of course, but our G.S. wagons have
been across and also the artillery, so they may take your bus--if you
don't bounce her in crossing."

"Right-o!" I said. "I will get it down." Hurrying across I had just
reached the last bridge when, with a sudden snap, one of the main beams
gave way. All traffic was, of course, stopped, and engineers quickly got
to work replacing the broken girder.

"It will be at least another hour, sir," said a sergeant in answer to my
enquiry. So there was nothing for it but to curb my impatience and wait,
and I stood my apparatus down and watched the proceedings.

At that moment a car came to a standstill alongside me.

"What's wrong?" called out one of the occupants.

"Broken bridge," I said. "I'm waiting to cross with my car to get films
of the villages and the occupants."

"That's good," said the speaker, a captain. "I am going up to them as
well. Intelligence I heard from our airmen this