raters were
fortified and turned into a trench. In this way the Germans began to
approach fairly close to us at K.1 and J.3. I had to register with
Newton rifle-grenades on the crater, but as we were short of
cartridges it was not possible to fire at night.

On April 25 we were relieved by the 4th Battalion of the Royal
Fusiliers, and I got away from the trenches with the last of the
bombers about midnight. There was a big bombardment of these trenches
next day, causing eighty casualties to the new-comers. My own little
shelter was blown to pieces by a howitzer shell and the occupants
killed. Nearly two years elapsed before I was again living in front
line trenches.

VIII

DIVISIONAL REST

In the early hours of April 20 the battalion reached Locre and spent
the rest of the night in billets. By 8 A.M. we resumed our march, and
went through Bailleul to Meteren. It was pleasant indeed to see the
inside of a town again, and to get away from the area that was broken
to bits. We were to be out of the line, we hoped, for at least a
month, so naturally every one was feeling light-hearted. The bombers
of the battalion were collected in a company about eighty strong, and
they were billeted together under my charge. Our quarters were at a
large French farm, called on the map 'Fever Farm,' and near to it was
a fine set of bombing trenches. Lieut. W. Keene was also living at
this farm, in order to be near the bombing ground. And we had our
little mess together in the farm parlour, and our bedroom in a nice
dry attic. No bombing work was done for the first three days, in order
to give time for the men to get rested and to clean their equipment.
The bombers were billeted in a large barn just across the yard, with
plenty of clean straw inside. The French farmer and his wife were
pleasant bodies, nice and friendly to us, and glad no doubt to be
able to sell their light beer and eggs to the English soldier-man. The
other companies of the battalion were billeted in farm-houses near
Meteren. In case of an attack by the Germans on the Corps front the
battalion had orders to go forward and man the trenches on Kemmel
Hill. I received a paper of instructions as to what to do in case of
alarm. We could tell that the Germans were causing trouble up the
line, for we heard a heavy bombardment going on beyond Kemmel. About
1.30 A.M. on Sunday, April 30, the bombers' sentry came and woke me
up, and I went downstairs to find a messenger