maps at his Brigade
Headquarters and then sent us on to the Regimental Headquarters, further
down the hill, where they gave us rum punch, believing, as all Italians
do, that an Englishman is never happy unless he is drinking alcohol. We
got back to the Battery in the moonlight.

On January 27th the long expected action began, and our Brigade lost one
of its best officers, who was hit in the head in the front line O.P. on
Monte Tondo. His steel helmet and the skill of Italian doctors just
saved his life, but he was permanently out of the war. The Italians put
their best doctors right forward in the advanced dressing stations. All
that day we bombarded enemy Batteries and cross roads and barbed wire.
Next morning the Italian Infantry carried Col Valbella and Col d'Echele
by assault. The day after they took also Col del Rosso, and beat back
very heavy counter-attacks. The Sassari Brigade and a Brigade of
Bersaglieri specially distinguished themselves. It was an important and
useful success. It considerably improved our line between the Asiago
Plateau and Val Brenta, it deprived the enemy of the secure use of the
Val Frenzela, and it was the first offensive operation of any importance
undertaken by the Italians since the great retreat. Its success went to
prove that the Italian Army had been effectively reorganised, and that
its morale was again high.

From my sleeping hut and from the Battery Command Post I used to hear
for days afterwards the Italian Infantry singing in great choruses, far
into the night. There was triumph in their songs, and there was ribaldry
and there was longing. I thought I knew what dreams were in their
hearts, and, if I was right, those dreams were also mine.

The advance left us a long way behind the new front line, and we
expected to move our guns forward; indeed we selected and asked to be
allowed to occupy a very good position behind Montagna Nuova. But this
was not allowed, and we stayed where we were for another six weeks. It
snowed a great deal and we fired very little. But we had plenty to do to
keep pathways dug between the guns and the huts; often we had to clear
these afresh every hour.

During this time I made the acquaintance of several interesting
Italians and Frenchmen. Among these was Colonel Bucci, who had been
attached the year before to the Staff of one of the British Armies in
France. He was now in command of a Regiment of Field Artillery,
including a group of Batteries know