finest fighting I have seen.

You will understand, then, how difficult it is for me to describe the
country round La Bassee. I might describe it as it appeared to me when
first we arrived--sunny and joyous, with many little farms and thick
hedges and rare factories--or as I saw it last, on a horrible yellowish
evening, shattered and black and flooded and full of ghosts.

Now when first we arrived news filtered through to us that La Bassee was
held only by a division of Jaegers, plentifully supplied with artillery
and machine guns. I believe this was the fact. The Jaegers held on
stubbornly until reinforcements came up. Instead of attacking we were
hard pressed, and had more than we could do to prevent the Germans in
their turn from breaking through. Indeed we had not a kick left in us
when the Division was relieved.

At the beginning it looked so simple. The British Army was wheeling
round on to the German right flank. We had the shortest distance to go,
because we formed the extreme British right. On our left was the 3rd
Division, and beyond the 3rd was the First Corps. On the left of the
First the Third Corps was sweeping on to Armentieres.

Then Antwerp fell suddenly. The First Corps was rushed up to help the
Seventh Division which was trying to guard the right flank of the
Belgians in retirement along the coast. Thus some sort of very weak line
was formed from the sea to La Bassee. The Germans, reinforced by the
men, and more particularly by the guns that the fall of Antwerp had let
loose, attacked violently at Ypres and La Bassee. I do not say this is
what really happened. I am trying to tell you what we thought was
happening.

Think of us, then, in the heat of early October going into action on the
left of the French, confident that we had just a little opposition to
brush away in front of us before we concentrated in the square at La
Bassee.

At first the 13th Brigade was put into position south of the canal, the
15th Brigade attacked from the canal to the La Bassee-Estaires road, and
the 14th from the main road roughly to the Richebourgs. In the second
stage the French extended their line to the Canal, and the 13th became a
reserve brigade. In the third stage we had every man in the line--the
13th Brigade being split up between the 14th and 15th, and the French
sent two battalions to the north bank of the canal.

The work of the despatch riders was of two kinds. Three-quarters of us
rode between the divi