ion had
its position. The British admitted that this new position was not
strong, because it lacked natural advantages, and the trenches
were more or less of hasty construction.

The Germans started a heavy bombardment of the cavalry on May 13,
1915, when the rain was pouring in torrents and a north wind was
adding to the discomforts of the British. The fiercest part of
this attack was on the Third Division. Some idea of the fierceness
of the bombardment can be gained when it is known that in a
comparatively short space of time more than eight hundred shells
were hurled on a part of the British line which was not more than
a mile in length. In places the British were buried alive. In spite
of the destructive fire, the North Somerset Yeomanry, commanded by
Lieutenant Colonel Glyn, charged the Germans who were advancing
on their trenches under cover of the bombardment. The charge was
effective, and the Teutons were driven headlong toward their own
trenches. But the German artillery had the range of the Seventh
Brigade on the right, and poured upon it such a fire that it retreated
several hundred yards, leaving the right of the Sixth Brigade exposed.
As soon as possible the British made an attempt to remedy the defect
in their line, and found it necessary to make a counterattack. In
this counterattack very satisfactory results were obtained by the
use of the Duke of Westminster's armored motor cars. The British
regained the lost ground, but they found it impossible to retain
it, for the Teuton's heavy artillery had the range of the position
so accurately that no man could live there. The result of the day's
fighting was a farther pushing back of the line of the British
so that it bent backward from Verlorenhoek and Bellewaarde Lake.
In addition to being forced back, the British suffered a large
loss of men, especially officers.

The infantry on the left had been fiercely attacked on this same
day; but it managed to keep from being driven from its position.
One of the defenders of this part of the line was a territorial
battalion, the London Rifle Brigade. There were only 278 men in the
battalion at the beginning of the day, it having suffered severe
losses previously. By night ninety-one more had been lost. Four
survivors, under command of Sergeant Douglas Belcher, and two hussars
whom the sergeant had added to his squad, held that part of the
line in the face of repeated attacks. These plucky men not only
made the Ger