ckness and resolution Sergt. Flannigan
picked it up and got it out of the trench before it burst--and his
action undoubtedly averted a tragedy. Many men have received
decorations for similar acts in the trenches, but the Brigade decided
that nothing could be done in this case except mentioning it in
Divisional Orders and recording it in the Sergeant's pay book. After
this I arranged with the Sergeant to keep an undetonated grenade
handy, and if any man seemed too nervous to throw his first grenade
safely, we supplied him with this. He went through all the emotions of
throwing a live grenade, and endangered neither himself nor us. The
empty grenade was then picked up and treated as a 'dud,' i.e. one that
had misfired. Between October 7 and October 21, 477 new men went
through the bombing course, and nearly a thousand grenades were fired.
Shortly after this Sergt. P. Flannigan went to the Corps School, first
as a bomber and afterwards as a Lewis gun instructor; and I never had
his services again.

Brigadier-General Ovens was a pleasant, genial Irishman, who tried to
make us all feel at home in his mess. But I doubt whether the Irish
really understand the Northumbrians or vice versa. At this time John
Coates, the famous tenor singer, came out as a lieutenant in the
Yorkshire Regiment. He was attached to us for a time. It was a
sporting thing for him to do, but he was neither young enough nor hard
enough to stand the severities of the campaign. He acted as General's
Orderly-Officer for a time and afterwards became Town Major of
Becourt, not an easy or a very pleasant job. He sang several times for
the men, once in the open air, and his singing was certainly top hole.

During this stay at Millencourt I paid a flying visit to Amiens with
Lieut. A.E. Odell. We went there and back in a Divisional Signal car
and stopped only a few hours, in fact for dinner.

About October 24 we went to Albert, stopping one night at the same
house as before, and next day we went back to the line.

XVII

HOOK SAP

On October 25, 1916, we took over from a brigade of the 1st Division
at the ruined sugar factory at Bazentin-le-Grand. The sleeping
apartments were in a dugout below ground, but the mess room and
offices were in the building on the ground floor. After arriving I
went with a bombing sergeant of the Black Watch to have a look at the
Brigade Dump, which was a good way from B.H.Q. You got at it by
walking across country to th