n,
just too late, as we were now under orders to move back to the rest
area. And on May 4 I marched back with the B.H.Q. transport to
Souastre, and on May 5 to Pommera.

For the next ten days the Brigade carried out various tactical
exercises under the directions of General Rees. One day was given to
field firing practice, on which occasion I acted as one of the
'casualty' officers--that is to say, I had to select various men
during the sham attack and order them to drop out as casualties. Live
ammunition was used in rifles and Lewis guns as well as live
rifle-grenades; and I remember there were seven slight casualties from
accidents with the rifle-grenades. These 'live' field days in France
were not without their own little excitements, especially for those
who had to keep up with the firing line.

After ten days the Brigade was detached from the 50th Division and
attached to the 33rd Division, holding the line about Croisilles. The
idea was to assist the 33rd Division by holding the line for them for
three days, in the interval between two attacks. So on May 17 the
Brigade moved from Pommera to Souastre, H.Q. being again at the French
chateau. Here, through the good services of our French interpreter, we
had for dinner a piece of the famous _sanglier_ which lives in the
woods at Pommera. One of these creatures had been shot, and the
huntsmen presented a piece of it to B.H.Q. Mess. It tasted much like
pork, with a more gamy flavour.

On May 18 we moved from Souastre to Boiry St. Martin, where B.H.Q.
were in some wooden huts, amongst the ruins of the village. On May 19
I went over to Ayette, a neighbouring village, and spent the morning
training men of the 7th N.F. in rifle-grenades. Next day I went with
Capt. Haggie to inspect a Brigade ammunition dump at Croisilles, and
on May 21 I went to a canvas camp at Hamlincourt and spent the night
there. I did not get a good night as the enemy shelled the vicinity of
the camp at intervals during the night. Next day I went forward to
B.H.Q. which were in some shelters in a sunken road just west of
Croisilles. We held the line till May 25 and nothing very startling
happened. But two or three incidents occurred here which I remember
with interest. The visit of three War Correspondents, including
Messrs. Beach Thomas and Philip Gibbs. They spent about half an hour
at our H.Q. and were put in my charge to see the sights. We did not go
far from H.Q. as the high ground there affor