Princess Pats," as they were known at home, turned over their
quarters to the Ninth Lancers who were followed by the Fifteenth
Hussars and the Second Camerons.

On May 24, 1915, the Germans made a great gas attack. They had
placed along the line from St. Julien to Hooge a great number of
gas tanks. They then started a bombardment with asphyxiating shells.
When the bombardment was well under way the tanks were opened.
The ensuing cloud was five miles long and forty feet high; and
it floated over the British trenches from 3 a. m. to 7 a. m. The
cloud was followed by three columns of infantry, who dashed forward
under the protection of the shells of their artillery. But the
Germans made gains in only two places--at Hooge and to the north of
Wieltje. For the most part the British regained by counterattacks
what they lost; but they were unable to retake the Chateau of Hooge,
though the Ninth Lancers and the Fifteenth Hussars made a heroic
attempt to regain it. Thereupon the Third Dragoons received orders
to attempt to retake the Chateau of Hooge. They went into the second
line of the British trenches to the south of the Menin road on May
29, 1915. The Germans bombarded the trenches with high-explosive
shells while from the German trenches a torrent of small arms fire
poured. In spite of the continued hail of lead, the Dragoons held
to their position though their trenches were wrecked.

Early in the morning of May 31, the British charged and drove their
enemy from the ruins of the Chateau and its stables. The Germans
turned all of their artillery on that part of the line against
Hooge, and when the bombardment was finished there was only a heap
of ruins left. The British withdrew from the Chateau, but only
for a short distance.

The bombardment was renewed on June 1; on that day the German infantry
tried to dislodge the Dragoons, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
Again, on June 2, the artillery was used, the German shells being
hurled a part of the time at the rate of twenty a minute. Under the
cover of this terrific bombardment a part of the German infantry
charged from the Bellewaarde Lake region. They got to the Chateau
before a British battery opened fire on them. Again they entered
the ruins and made a dash out on the opposite side, where they were
met by more machine-gun fire. Three times they tried to escape,
but practically all of them were slain. Other attempts were made
by the Germans that afternoon, but none of