ht. The next day it
moved to Willems on the Belgian frontier.

TOURNAI.

On the 24th October the Battalion took over the outpost zone at Froyennes
by Tournai. This was a new kind of warfare. There were no trenches, no
enemy line and no clearly defined British line. Sentry groups were located
in houses, behind hedges and perhaps in a ditch on the side of the road.
Sentries kept a look-out from a skylight window or gap in the hedge.
Civilians were living in the same houses as the troops and some of these
appeared rather friendly towards the enemy. One woman actually wished to
take some washing to the Germans in Tournai. For the most part these
civilians were women, and the soldiers admired their wonderful courage.
Even though they were in the centre of the fighting they did not lose
heart and there was no panic.

In the right company area was situated a chateau which had formerly been
the headquarters of General von Quast, the commander of the Sixth German
Army. Company headquarters were in the next chateau, the Chateau de
Froyennes, belonging to the Germiny family, and the then occupier,
Mademoiselle Therese de Germiny, who had remained, lent her boat to the
Company, and several men were able to row on the ornamental lake which was
situated at the side of the chateau in a beautiful park. One platoon was
quartered in a restaurant which had a beautiful and rustic garden, though
it was too near the enemy for the men to really enjoy the comfort it
afforded. Another platoon found in a laundry a number of clean white
shirts which the men readily donned.

Though the Germans had been defeated, they still continued to indulge in
a lavish expenditure of ammunition. Probably they were firing so as to use
up their remaining shells before evacuating. Day after day the park
belonging to the Froyennes Chateau was searched by all manner of shell. So
intense was the fire that it reminded one of the terrible moments of the
Somme Battle. The Hospital or Convent in which one of the companies was
located was subjected to incessant minenwerfer fire.

It is interesting to record that "A" Company elected to do the full tour
of four days in the front position with the intention of spending all the
next tour in support, an eventuality which did not take place as the
Armistice intervened.

Coming out from Froyennes the Battalion was shelled on the road. Little
did anyone think that night that the Battalion had finished with shell
fire. Fo