ounter had made him
appreciate he was not going to have it all his own way in his midnight
strolls, and while he apparently agreed to keep some 800 yards from our
line, still beyond that point he considered the land was his preserve,
and there he kept every night large floating patrols and maintained a
garrison in the old British trenches, and he was most determined that we
should not visit him. From the Apex an old road ran straight through our
wire towards the Tank, crossed by another road at right angles about
800 yards out. To these cross-roads, from which the trenches were about
400 yards distant, the Battalion sent at least one nightly patrol. The
patrol then became a listening post or covering patrol and an officer
and a man would proceed further to try to find out the Turk's night
dispositions. These were discovered, and at length the reserve company
asked permission to clear the trenches with the bayonet. The idea was
approved, but a higher authority announced that it was preparing a
scheme and that until the plan was ready we must not disturb the Turk
unduly, but were to continue our patrols to the cross-roads and send on
a small party to draw fire from the enemy holding the old British
trenches. This was clear, and although unpleasant was regularly carried
out, but all ranks got thoroughly tired of this job as it had to be done
for about ten nights before the scheme appeared. It embraced artillery
and machine-gun support, Verey lights and all the incidentals of a
first-class night attack. The enemy was to be enclosed in a rectangle,
three sides of which were to consist of shells and machine-gun bullets
and the fourth of one company of another unit and "A" Company of the
5th. This side was to move inwards, clearing the old British trenches
with the bayonet as it reached them. On the right was "A" Company, clear
of the trenches, which fell to others, so that "A" Company's duty was to
clear their side of Suffolk Ridge and keep in line with the company on
their left. From the information gained by our patrols we did not
anticipate that "A" Company would meet with any opposition. The Turkish
position to their front was some 200 yards farther on than their
objective. On the 20th August the operation was attempted. The trenches
were strongly held, and the company on the left could not carry them.
The line became confused in the darkness. Acting on orders previously
issued "A" Company withdrew to the cross-roads; a pat