e east, with outposts on the river.

Now as to the ground over which the British Army fought. The Aisne
valley runs generally east and west, and consists of a flat-bottomed
depression, of width varying from half a mile to two miles, down which
the river follows a winding course to the west, at some points near
the southern slopes of the valley and at others near the northern. The
high ground, both on the north and south of the river, is
approximately 400 ft. above the bottom of the valley itself, which is
broken into numerous rounded spurs and re-entrants. The most prominent
of the former are the Chivres spur on the right bank and the Sermoise
spur on the left.

Near the latter place the general plateau on the south is divided by a
subsidiary valley of much the same character, down which the small
river Vesle flows to the main stream near Sermoise. The slopes of the
plateau overlooking the Aisne on the north and south are of varying
steepness, and are covered with numerous patches of wood, which also
stretch upwards and backwards over the edge on to the top of the high
ground. There are several small towns and villages dotted about in the
valley itself and along its sides, the chief of which is the town of
Soissons.

The Aisne is a sluggish stream of some 170 ft. in breadth, but, being
15 ft. deep in the centre, it is unfordable. Between Soissons on the
west and Villers on the east (the part of the river attacked and
secured by the British forces) there are eleven road bridges across
it. On the north bank a narrow-gauge railway runs from Soissons to
Vailly, where it crosses the river and continues eastward
along the south bank. From Soissons to Sermoise a double line of
railway runs along the south bank, turning at the latter place up the
Vesle valley towards Bazoches.

The position held by the enemy was a very strong one, either for a
delaying action or for a defensive battle. One of its chief military
characteristics is that, from the high ground, on neither side can the
top of the plateau on the other side be seen, except for small
stretches. This is chiefly due to the woods on the edges of the
slopes. Another important point is that all the bridges are under
either direct or high-angle artillery fire.

The general lay and contour of the ground in the region over which the
British Army fought at the Battle of the Aisne are deeply impressed on
my memory.

Rolling downs of considerable altitude characterise the