idge Wood. B.H.Q. moved to a camp at La
Clytte, farther than ever from the front line trenches.

At La Clytte there was a small bombing ground, but it was not very
safe for live practice, and I was glad when we left it. We did not
stay long in these trenches; but before we left them the bombers of
the 6th N.F. killed a German and he was brought back to our trenches.
It was the first dead German that I had seen.

Our next move was to a quieter part of the line, namely to Wulverghem,
below the Messines Ridge. B.H.Q. went to a canvas camp at Neuve
Eglise, but moved soon after to Dranoutre, where we were billeted in
houses. Lieut.-Col. Turner, O.C. the 5th N.F., came to command the
Brigade for about a week, in the absence of General Clifford, who went
to England on leave. He was a regular officer, with a keen sense of
humour and with an extraordinary dislike of parsons. These new
trenches were quiet enough, but the sniping of the enemy was far too
good. I was nearly caught out before I realised that fact. I was
looking over the parapet the first day with L.-C. Austin, when a
bullet caught the edge of the parapet just in front of us, tearing the
sandbag along the top and stopping within a few inches of our heads.
Of course we dropped down quickly into the trench, but L.-C. Austin
waved his cap over the top to signal a 'miss.' He told me it would
never do to let the German sniper think he had scored a hit. The
'flying pig,' our large trench-mortar, was first used in a bombardment
of the German trenches here, and I believe our Stokes mortar battery
did a record rate of fire on the same occasion. We had a lot of gas
cylinders stored in the front line trenches ready for use. But they
were not required and we had the pleasant job of removing them. They
were always talked about as 'rum jars.'

There was no bombing ground at Dranoutre, and I had to make a place
for live practice in a farmer's field, much to his disgust. 'C'est la
guerre, monsieur!' was all we could say to his expostulations. We
could now hear the great cannonade on the Somme going on to the south
almost day and night.

A large number of wooden ammunition huts were erected along the roads
near Dranoutre, and heavy gun emplacements were being made about
Kemmel. Perhaps it was intended that the Fifth Army should make a big
push here, if the battle on the Somme had been more successful at the
start.

About August 7 we were relieved by two shattered divisions from