nburg Line, behind 'the walls of bronze' which had checked us
once and which they hoped would again stay the pursuit of their beaten
legions.

One particularly disgusting feature of our journey in pursuit of the
enemy was the dreadful state of the huts he had occupied. They all
appeared to be moving with lice and fleas, and it was a most difficult
matter to keep oneself free from their unpleasant attentions. It was
the same wherever we stopped.

XXXV

THE STORMING OF THE HINDENBURG LINE NEAR TRESCAULT

On September 20 I went with Lieut. G.F. Doble, the Divisional
Intelligence Officer, to visit the new area in front. We found D.H.Q.
established in a wonderful series of huts south-west of Velu Wood.
These had been the H.Q. of some German Corps, and wonderfully well
barricaded they were. Inside each hut, which was panelled with wood,
there was a sliding panel which admitted to a deep shelter dugout
beneath. Here in case of bombing by our aeroplanes, the German officer
had been able to retire quickly and without loss of dignity to a place
of safety. From here we paid a short visit by motor-car to the B.H.Q.
north-west of Havrincourt Wood. On returning through Bapaume I had the
great pleasure of meeting Major W. Anderson, D.S.O., M.C., my old
Brigade-Major, who was now G.S.O. II of the 37th Division.

On September 21 the observers went forward with their hand-cart
through Riencourt, Villers-au-Flos, and Haplincourt to the outskirts
of Bertincourt. We first selected some empty huts near Velu Wood as
our place of residence. But as we were shelled about five minutes
after arriving, we decided to move a little farther from the wood.
Finally we found two useful Nissen huts built into the roadside and
sheltered by some tall elm trees, just west of Bertincourt. It was not
a very quiet or healthy spot anywhere near Bertincourt; but we were
not damaged by the enemy's shells, though occasionally annoyed. The
same afternoon I went forward by myself to reconnoitre a position for
the Divisional O.P. And I found a useful place in the north of
Havrincourt Wood, or rather in the rough thorny scrub that had once
formed part of the wood.

[Illustration: Scene of the Attack on the Hindenburg Line, Sept.
28, 1918.]

Observation was obtained through the branches of a tree, and a small
shelter dugout was close at hand. The field of view extended along the
left flank of the Corps and Divisional front, and went a long way bac