t. Then they went on until they were on the
slope of the ridge. Beyond that, however, it seemed impossible to
proceed, for the Germans had such an array of machine guns trained on
the approach to their second line of trenches that no human being
could live in the face of their deadly fire. The British needed an
equipment with which to bombard their enemy with high-explosive
shells. Such an equipment they did not possess.

The German commander played a clever trick on the British when their
First Army Corps and their Indian Division attempted to make progress
in the triangle to the west of La Bassee. He evacuated his first two
lines of trenches while the artillery was doing what it could to
demolish his parapets; but his men were drawn up in the third line of
trenches waiting for the inevitable advance of the British. This third
line of trenches was protected with armor plate and concrete. Moreover
he had planted a large number of machine guns in the brickfield near
La Bassee. The British dashed forward until they were in range of the
machine guns. Then they suffered such severe losses that they were
forced to retreat, even though they had almost taken the inviting
German trenches. The Highlanders and the Bedfords had made a gallant
charge and felt especially humiliated to have to withdraw when victory
was about to perch on their banners. They believed that a lack of
reenforcements was responsible for their nonsuccess.

The day's fighting ended with the First Army of the British driven
back except in the center. There the Kensington Territorial Battalion
made a remarkable record for itself. In the morning when the British
artillery ceased firing, the Kensington men dashed from their trenches
and captured three lines of the German trenches at the point of the
bayonet. A part of the battalion, in its eagerness to win the day,
went on up the ridge. At the same time one of its companies turned to
the left and another to the right, and with bayonet and bomb drove the
Germans from the trenches for a distance of 200 yards. The Kensingtons
were doing the work that had been set for them to do; but two regular
battalions, one to their left and the other to their right, were not
as able to comply with the orders they had received. The regulars were
stopped by wire entanglements that the artillery had failed to smash,
and, at the same time, they were raked by machine-gun fire. Hence they
were unable to keep up with the Territorials