Headquarters, and they reported the enemy on top of them, with machine
guns behind their right flank and bombers behind their left.

It was then decided to move Headquarters further to the rear, and it was
afterwards discovered that at this time parties of the enemy were
actually well in rear of the position.

After moving down the communication trench for about 500 yards,
Lieut.-Col. Walton, with the Adjutant and Signalling Officer, and Capt.
Lyon, collected all the available men, about forty of the Battalion, and
searched for the best place to make a stand. They were still under the
barrage, and the smoke made matters very difficult. Presently the 5th
Durham Light Infantry came up the trench to take up an allotted position,
which they found to be already taken by the enemy. They moved off to the
right of the main trench, however, and the forty men under Capt. Lyon
joined them.

A message was then received by the Commanding Officer telling him to
report at Brigade Headquarters. On arrival, however, the dug-outs were
found to be unoccupied. Enemy machine guns were now firing from the rear,
and it was realised that apart from about half-a-dozen orderlies who
formed the remains of the Headquarters personnel, the Battalion had been
practically annihilated.

In his search for the Brigadier, who, it afterwards transpired, had been
killed, Lieut.-Col. Walton arrived at the bridge at Concevreux. Here he
found a few men of the 8th Durham Light Infantry and the 5th
Northumberland Fusiliers, with whom the bridge was held till the
afternoon. Unfortunately, none of the Battalion joined this party from
the front, and for the next two or three days the two Commanding Officers
of the 6th and 8th Durham Light Infantry found themselves in command of
various bodies of men of other battalions.

Meanwhile those of the Battalion who were at the transport lines when the
battle started had been collected on the road from Muscourt to Romain
under Major T.B. Heslop, D.S.O., and placed under the orders of the
G.O.C. 74th Brigade. Whilst on the road they could see enemy troops and
guns on the far side of the Aisne valley and later saw these guns being
fired point blank at them. Various positions were taken up during the
day, the party being in close contact with the enemy and suffering many
casualties. On the 29th these details, which had rejoined the transport,
were ordered to move from Villers Argon to Baslieux-sous-Chatillon, but
before r