gade, who passed through us, make good about six
miles without firing a shot--a peace march, which as Brig.-General
Hoare was at pains to point out was entirely due to the offensive
spirit of the 229th Brigade.

We were given a day and a half in which to rest and reorganise and
then off again on the retreating Bosche. Just as we were leaving we
heard that Mr J.C. Drysdale had been hit by a shell which landed right
at the mouth of his bivouac, at least six miles behind the line. In
him we lost a most efficient and hard-working transport officer. After
a night at Aizecourt and another at Longavesnes we were again in the
line relieving the 25th (Montgomery and Welsh Horse Yeomanry)
Battalion Welsh Regiment in the left sector of the divisional front
holding the horse-shoe line of trenches round St Emilie, with
Battalion H.Q. behind the railway embankment between Villers Faucon
and St Emilie. A Company of the Somersets was attached to us to help
to hold the long length of this salient. They linked up with the
Devons on our right, while on our left and considerably to our rear
was the 58th Division. We had about one and a half miles of half-dug
trench to hold with less than 400 men all told. They were probably the
worst sited trenches in France, with no field of fire and not
continuous, completely dominated by the German guns at Epehy, who
could fire down them, and by snipers who, by crawling through the
thistles and broken country on our left rear (and the Alpini were bold
snipers and deadly shots), could fire right up some portions of the
trench. The salient held by the 74th Division was considerably in
advance of the line held by the Australians on our right and by the
Londoners on our left, and was quite an unhealthy spot until the
Bosche were pushed out of Epehy.

9th September passed fairly quietly until evening, when D Company (Mr
Brodie Brown) was sent to reconnoitre to the front, and if possible
establish themselves on the ridge on the far side of the valley in
front of us. They had got about three quarters of the way when their
patrols reported at least two companies of the enemy going into the
trenches which D were to occupy and two strong patrols working
forward on either side of them. To push on was impossible, so they
returned to the trenches they had left. Though this merely confirmed
what we already knew--that the enemy were holding that line in
strength--and though a report was sent in to this effect, becau