brai and St. Quentin was recognised as the key to the whole situation
so that naturally exertions were gigantic by both sides. Foch maintained
his artillery concentration in this sector and undoubtedly one of the
greatest wonders of that year of wonders, 1918, was the manner in which
the guns obtained their never-ending supply of ammunition. The steady
pounding never ceased day or night, and when infantry action took place,
the noise welled up to terrific barrage speed for hours on end. When the
nerve-shattered German soldier pathetically walked over to our lines one
morning with hands up and exclaiming "Kamerad, too much shell!" he was
surely expressing the enemy point of view. The line had thus been pushed
on to the western outskirts of Solesmes, and troops in this area were
now waiting for the fall of Cambrai and Douai to continue the pressure.
When these events took place preparations were made for another battle.

During the battalion's march forward there was considerable
night-bombing by enemy aircraft, and on the first night Sgt. Riley, an
old member of the battalion, was killed and several men of H.Q. wounded
by bombs on their bivouac. It was a fair country that the 7th were now
approaching. After seven months' campaigning in the dismal devastated
lands of the Somme regions the sight of whole houses with chimneys and
roofs, and smoke exuding from them in the correct manner, was as welcome
as an oasis to the thirsty traveller in the desert. Here were billets, a
word of which we had almost forgotten to use. But picture our excitement
when we saw a real live civilian. The sight of these things probably
brought home to our men the full meaning of the German defeat more than
anything else. The 127th brigade spent a few days under most comfortable
conditions in the village of Beauvois on the Cambrai-Le Cateau road,
residing in houses, almost complete with furniture. A few of the
villagers had courageously remained behind, taking cover in their
cellars while the fighting and shelling took place above their heads. A
good deal of wanton destruction had been carried out by the retiring
Hun, but on the whole the countryside presented a normal appearance, a
most welcome sight to eyes wearied with the scenes of devastation, and
an important factor also in keeping up the morale of the troops.

Eventually the N.Z's. were relieved, and it was found that a very
skilful and determined enemy lay in front. Subsequent events, indeed