we
remained, in billets, for some considerable time. It was while we were
there that we learnt that it was the intention of the British
Commander to gain possession of the great Messines Ridge, which
towered over our lines, and was a stronghold of inestimable value to
the enemy.

As long as he held this ridge, which was the keystone of his armies in
Flanders, he was immune from any vulnerable attack on our part, and
was free to launch any offensive operation from it by using it as a
stepping-off place. Added to this, the northern end of the heights
afforded him an uninterrupted view of the southern portion of the
Ypres salient, which was a source of great annoyance to our forces on
that part of the front. It was vital, therefore, for the future
operations of the British Armies, that this important ridge should be
captured and kept in our hands.

Preparations were accordingly set on foot, and artillery of all
calibre was silently concentrated from all parts, and proceeded to dig
itself in for the coming fray. For a long time this sector had been
free from any serious operations, and was considered a kind of resting
place for exhausted troops, but soon the peace and quiet of the
neighbourhood was to receive a rude awakening, when the tide of battle
broke out upon it once more.

Proceeding through Hazebrouck and Bailleul, the Brigade arrived at its
wagon lines, a short distance west of Neuve Eglise, and immediately
each battery sent work parties to the scene of action, in order to
construct emplacements and make its position habitable. The spot
allotted to our battery was in a little hollow close to the cut roads,
near the small ruined village of Wulverghen. Our front line was placed
on the top of an undulating rise, with the ridge itself beyond.

Our principal business was to avoid attracting the attention of (p. 041)
the enemy to our preparations, and in this we were aided by the
fact that there was a considerable amount of cover beside us, in the
form of trees and undergrowth, the foliage of which was now in full
leaf.

Row upon row of batteries were placed in position behind hedges, or
artificially concealed, the barrels of the pieces peeping out from all
imaginable lurking places. The Divisional Artillery was situated in
the most advanced position, the 18 pr. batteries ranging from within
600 to 1,000 yards of the front line, with the howitzer batteries
immediately behind them. On account of our proximity t