en had
been too much for the Hun.

It must not be imagined that it was all a bed of roses on this front,
for the enemy had his unpleasant moments, particularly at night. There
was a steady flow of irritating casualties, and when Corporal O'Connell
and Pte. Bowie of the regimental police were killed at headquarters one
night, we felt that old familiar faces might not be so permanent amongst
us as might be supposed. The cruel disruption of war was ever present.
Still we had the satisfaction of knowing that the Boche received as much
and more than he gave. The battalion snipers occasionally registered
hits, and in this type of warfare there was plenty "of good sport" to be
had owing to the short distance across No Man's Land and the large gaps
in the sides of the enemy trenches. Our gunners also indulged in sniping
with good results, and it was exciting to watch the rapidity of the
sequence of two or three grey figures jumping out of a trench and the
bang, bang, bang of an 18 pounder shell or two in their close vicinity.
But our excitement must have been as naught compared with that of the
aforesaid grey figures!

The reliefs in this "model sector" came round like clock-work. A
battalion did four days in the front line, four days in support, four
days in the line, and then four days in brigade reserve. After
thirty-two days of this the brigade went out for sixteen days in
divisional reserve. It was all so beautiful and soothing that it seemed
as though the problem of perpetual motion had been solved and the war
had come for an eternity. The enemy did the same thing, and we knew when
he did it. He left us alone on relief days and we returned the
compliment. Thus on December 9th we effected a peaceful passage into
brigade reserve at Gorre Chateau. In a noisy sector this chateau and all
the village in the vicinity would have been reduced to ruins, but here
the civilians had not been interrupted in their daily work, and the
chateau itself was a wonderful billet for troops, accommodating the
whole battalion comfortably. In fact, nearly twelve months later orderly
room received bills for the use of the electric light in the officers'
mess!

Whilst here Major Allan was sent to hospital, from which he was
eventually invalided to England, and did not return to the battalion
again. He had had a long, useful career with the 127th brigade since the
middle of 1915. Family affairs had caused the regretted departure of
Lt. G. W. Fran