me in periodical bursts; ours was a steady
grind of seven days a week.

We saw the hay mowed and gathered in; we noticed the grain fields
gradually turn to gold, saw the reaping and all other operations of
mixed farming carried on in all its interesting detail. Meanwhile the
First Canadian Division had settled down in the Ploegsteert section,
which was out of our area, and the second Canadian Division had
arrived and joined up with them. The Second Division had come over to
teach the First Division a lot of things and there was a fair amount
of feeling between them as will be seen from the following
confidential conversation between two brothers in different
divisions, upon meeting for the first time:

"Say, we have had a hell of a time trying to live down your
reputation," said the younger brother.

"Yes, and you will also have a hell of a time trying to live up to it,
too," retorted the senior.

And there the matter rested until events subsequently showed that both
divisions were composed of exactly the same stuff.

CHAPTER IX.

THE MEDICAL ORGANIZATION OF THE BRITISH ARMY.

Each battalion at the front has a headquarters, usually in a dug-out
or a sheltered farm house close to the lines: each brigade, consisting
of four infantry battalions has a headquarters farther to the rear:
each division, consisting of three infantry brigades, artillery, etc.
has a divisional headquarters in some town, still farther to the rear,
out of shell range: each corps comprising two to four divisions has
its headquarters in a town back of this again: each army, composed of
two to four corps, has its headquarters still farther to the rear, and
the popular idea of the Tommy is that since the respective
headquarters occupy bigger and bigger chateaux the farther back they
go, away back somewhere in a town all by himself, living in a big
castle from which he operates everything, is the commander-in-chief of
the whole British Army.

General headquarters is usually a very busy place, for there are the
heads of the various services of the army, and all the orders
affecting the army as a whole are issued through it. The offices of
the chiefs of the services are business offices and are operated in a
most business-like way. The system is so perfect that it is difficult
to escape from it should an order be neglected or a duty left undone.

Among these chiefs is the Director-General of Medical Services of the
British Army in the f