Tacked to the wall was the portrait of a woman. He said good-by to her
at Victoria Station. How long ago? Surely more than seven hours, or
seven years... Outside there were the old noises. The guns were at it
again. That was a trench-mortar. The enemy's eight-inch howitzers were
plugging away. What a beastly row that machine-gun was making! Playing
on the same old spot. Why couldn't they leave it alone, the asses?...
Anyhow, there was no doubt about it--he had come back again. Back to the
trenches and the same old business.

There was a mine to be blown up that night and it would make a pretty
mess in the enemy's lines. The colonel was very cheerful about it, and
explained that a good deal of sapping had been done. "We've got the
bulge on 'em," he said, referring to the enemy's failures in this class
of work. In the mess all the officers were carrying on as usual, making
the same old jokes.

The man who had come back got back also the spirit of the thing with
astonishing rapidity. That other life of his, away there in old London,
was shut up in the cupboard of his heart.

So it went on and on until the torture of its boredom was broken by
the crash of big battles, and the New Armies, which had been learning
lessons in the School of Courage, went forward to the great test, and
passed, with honor.

PART THREE. THE NATURE OF A BATTLE

I

In September of 1915 the Commander-in-Chief and his staff were busy with
preparations for a battle, in conjunction with the French, which had
ambitious objects. These have never been stated because they were
not gained (and it was the habit of our High Command to conceal
its objectives and minimize their importance if their hopes were
unfulfilled), but beyond doubt the purpose of the battle was to gain
possession of Lens and its coal-fields, and by striking through Hulluch
and Haisnes to menace the German occupation of Lille. On the British
front the key of the enemy's position was Hill 70, to the north of Lens,
beyond the village of Loos, and the capture of that village and that
hill was the first essential of success.

The assault on these positions was to be made by two New Army divisions
of the 4th Corps: the 47th (London) Division, and the 15th (Scottish)
Division. They were to be supported by the 11th Corps, consisting of
the Guards and two new and untried divisions, the 21st and the 24th. The
Cavalry Corps (less the 3d Cavalry Division under General Fanshawe)