er in a
terrible chorus. It was a strain for all, and faces began to show the
lines of wearing mentality. Our persons lost their spruceness too. There
was mud clinging to us, we were unshaven, equipment hung rather loosely,
but our rifles and ammunition were still as ever, and Lewis guns would
be found in good condition.

After two nights the battalion occupied the front positions, relieving
the 5th Manchesters, and headquarters were established in a good sound
pill-box at Wilde Wood. Another attack was being planned upon Borry and
Beck, to be carried out by the 5th, with ourselves in support. Meanwhile
our job was to dig new trenches out in front as jumping off places for
the attack. They were successfully completed, but when the enemy saw
them he paid his usual attention to them and as a result 2nd-Lt.
Chatterton (C Coy.) was badly wounded, and eventually lost a leg. He was
an extremely popular figure both with officers and men being known to
everyone as "Joe," and his absence was keenly felt, for he had gone out
originally with the battalion in 1914.

Luckily the plan of attack was abandoned, and apart from a feeling of
personal relief everyone felt that a wise thing had been done. There was
little hope of the enterprise proving any more successful than that of
the L.F's., especially as similar attempts had just been made left and
right of us and had failed miserably. It was clear that the only way to
ease the situation was to carry out a big attack on a wide front.
Evidences of the imminence of such an attack showed themselves very
soon, for advance parties from the 9th division came up to learn the
front, and they intimated that they had a "big job on."

One night one of our patrols out in No Man's Land, heard not far from
them, feeble calls for help. Making their way across the shell holes
towards the sound they found a man with a smashed leg and absolutely
exhausted. He was brought in and proved to be an Inniskilling Fusilier
who had taken part in an attack some four or five weeks previously! He
stated that he had kept up his strength by eating the food and iron
rations and drinking the water which he had found upon the dead men
around him. It seemed incredible that such a thing could have happened,
but on making inquiries concerning his division, the number of which I
have forgotten, it proved to be perfectly true. Surely this case
presents physiological and psychical problems worthy of consideration.

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