ck as the old hangars at
Moyenneville. Seen from the trenches at Bucquoy it was a fine sight.
The enemy put up all kinds of coloured lights, including silhouette
lights and 'flaming onions' both orange and mauve.

Meanwhile we of the 7th N.F. undertook a small venture against certain
parties of the enemy that had been seen and sniped at from B Company's
trench. These parties were busy digging trenches about 400 yards away
to our front. Soon after dark 2nd-Lieuts. J. Dodds and J.H. Edmunds
took out a raiding party of over twenty men in order to secure a
prisoner if possible. As it turned out this was done quickly enough
and without firing a shot.

For on the party creeping forward to the wire belt at the top of the
hill, a German N.C.O. walked towards them, was surprised by 2nd-Lieut.
Dodds, and surrendered without a struggle. He was already slightly
wounded, and had come forward perhaps to have a look at the wire. He
was brought back at once to the trench, and it fell to me to examine
the man and to remove all papers from him except his pay-book and
identity disc. I went out and examined him in a mixture of such broken
French and German as I could summon at so short a notice. I also went
through his papers with the aid of lighted matches. After this he was
sent down under escort to Battalion H.Q., and thence to D.H.Q.

It proved to be a useful capture, for it showed that a fresh German
division had arrived opposite our front. Later on 2nd-Lieut. Dodds was
awarded the Military Cross for the capture. Early next morning (April
3) the Division sent orders that I should return with the Divisional
observers to the rear. So I left the trench in charge of 2nd-Lieut. N.
Holt and went back with my servant through Bucquoy, taking care to
avoid certain large shells which were falling every now and then about
the village. Calling at Battalion H.Q. I found that the observers were
now in some trenches about half a mile farther back in the direction
of Essarts. I soon found them, however, and whilst waiting for them
to get ready I was hospitably supplied with some whisky and soda by
the officers of one of the Lancashire Regiments.

At last we set off in small parties towards Gommecourt, our
destination being Souastre, a long march for tired men. Whilst passing
Biez Wood we came in for some rather unpleasant attention from the
enemy's artillery, whose observers could see movement at this spot all
too well. However we got away at las