nd wounded behind them, struggled through to
the second German line, from which there came a still fiercer rattle of
machine-gun and rifle-fire. Some of them broke through that line, too,
and went ahead in isolated parties across the wild crater land, over
chasms and ditches and fallen trees, toward the highest ground, which
had been their goal. Nothing was seen of them. They disappeared into
clouds of smoke and flame. Gunner observers saw rockets go up in far
places--our rockets--showing that outposts had penetrated into the
German lines. Runners came back--survivors of many predecessors who had
fallen on the way--with scribbled messages from company officers. One
came from the Essex and King's Own of the 4th Division, at a place
called Pendant Copse, southeast of Serre. "For God's sake send us
bombs." It was impossible to send them bombs. No men could get to them
through the deep barrage of shell-fire which was between them and our
supporting troops. Many tried and died.

The Ulster men went forward toward Beaumont Hamel with a grim valor
which was reckless of their losses. Beaumont Hamel was a German
fortress. Machine-gun fire raked every yard of the Ulster way. Hundreds
of the Irish fell. I met hundreds of them wounded--tall, strong,
powerful men, from Queen's Island and Belfast factories, and Tyneside
Irish and Tyneside Scots.

"They gave us no chance," said one of them--a sergeant-major. "They just
murdered us."

But bunches of them went right into the heart of the German positions,
and then found behind them crowds of Germans who had come up out of
their tunnels and flung bombs at them. Only a few came back alive in the
darkness.

Into Thiepval Wood men of ours smashed their way through the German
trenches, not counting those who fell, and killing any German who stood
in their way. Inside that wood of dead trees and charred branches they
reformed, astonished at the fewness of their numbers. Germans coming up
from holes in the earth attacked them, and they held firm and took two
hundred prisoners. Other Germans came closing in like wolves, in packs,
and to a German officer who said, "Surrender!" our men shouted, "No
surrender!" and fought in Thiepval Wood until most were dead and only a
few wounded crawled out to tell that tale.

The Londoners of the 56th Division had no luck at all. Theirs was the
worst luck because, by a desperate courage in assault, they did break
through the German lines at Gommecourt. T