situation, said that the enemy
was making no headway anywhere, and that he was gradually getting
round the German flank on the north. It gave me a great hope for the
future to find him so confident of success.

I explained my plans to him briefly as follows:--

The 2nd Corps, having completed its detrainment north of Abbeville,
was to march to the line Aire--Bethune. The Corps should arrive there
on the 11th; the 3rd Corps was to detrain at St. Omer about the 12th;
the cavalry was to move in advance of the 2nd Corps to sweep round by
the front and northern flank to clear the ground.

I returned to Abbeville that evening. I found that an officer
had arrived from Ostend by motor with a letter from Rawlinson, in
which he explained the situation in the north, the details of which we
know.

I remained at Abbeville and its neighbourhood on the 9th.

The British move to the north was now in full swing. Abbeville is an
important railway junction, and as I looked down from some high ground
commanding a view of all the lines of railway, it was as though every
set of metals had its procession of trains as far as the eye could
reach. That a flank movement of some magnitude was proceeding must
have been apparent to any observer. Some enemy aircraft flew over the
ground on which I stood, and I felt sure that the Germans must have
had warning of our approach to the north. But if the movement was ever
properly reported, very little attention was paid to it, for the
subsequent activities of the cavalry and the 3rd Corps were most
certainly a surprise to the enemy.

Spiers, too, came in and told me that the left of Foch's Army (de
Maud'huy's Corps) was holding its own well.

That day I had a long interview with Allenby, and arranged with him to
form the cavalry into two divisions, the 1st under de Lisle, the 2nd
under Gough. The two, forming the Cavalry Corps, to be, of course,
under Allenby's command. I directed him to make Aire by the 10th with
the 2nd Cavalry Division, the 1st to follow in support.

I told him that his _role_ in the immediate future would be to clear
the country to the north and north-east, reconnoitring woods, etc.,
and securing passages over waterways. I warned him that he must be
prepared to turn round and support the 2nd Corps if it became
necessary, but added that I hoped not to have to call upon
him for this.

An air officer (not, however, Sykes) whom I had sent towards Antwerp
returned and reported