ence had undoubtedly been gained.

The weather was beginning to break, and towards the end of the first
week in November we withdrew to the village of Sailly, preparatory to
marching into the nest area for which we were bound.

CHAPTER III. (p. 015)

"Peace Warfare."

When it became known that our destination was to be the sector
immediately adjoining the one we had already been in, facing Aubers
Ridge, our delight knew no bounds, for all were well aware that that
locality was considered a "cushy" spot which augured well for the
coming winter.

No delay was made in leaving Sailly, and, proceeding by way of Bethune
and St. Venant, we arrived at a small hamlet midway between the latter
town and Merville. The Battery remained in rest for a few days, while
a couple of "subs." with a working party commenced construction on the
new position selected by the B.C. This entailed a considerable amount
of labour, for timber and all other material had to be carted from the
R.E. dump at La Gorgue some distance away. With an eye to comfort as
well as concealment, it was decided to dig the pits in an orchard,
along some old assembly trenches which had been used by troops before
the battle of Neuve Chapelle. Close by was a cluster of cottages and
outhouses in a wonderful state of preservation.

By the end of the week the guns were pulled in, although there still
remained a lot to do on the position. The house in which the officers
quartered themselves was intact, with the exception of a few slates on
the roof and several broken window panes. Moreover, there was a little
furniture left and there were some fine open fireplaces, so we had
every reason to be satisfied. Within a short space of time the gun
pits were completed and camouflaged in keeping with the nature of the
ground, and great assistance was rendered us during this undertaking
by an airman who flew over the position from time to time and pointed
out the various deficiencies. At last when he reported that the
position could not be seen from a height of 2000 feet we (p. 016)
concluded, rightly, that nothing was to be feared in that direction.
Thus we settled down to a period commonly known as "Peace Warfare."
This may be summed up as a time when one experiences the maximum
amount of pleasure that is possible under war conditions, with the
minimum amount of discomfort. The enemy were completely deceive