to a new form of gas,
'mustard oil.' The two Companies billeted in Ypres suffered heavily, the
casualties numbering 3 officers and 114 other ranks." Thus the
_Lancashire Fusiliers' Annual_. The following letter, which I wrote in
the Ramparts, on July 13, after alluding to the working party recorded
at the end of the last chapter, describes that great bombardment of
Ypres:

"On Wednesday evening (July 11) I had had a working party, with Sergeant
Clews, in the front line. Dickinson had a party on my right. The work
was: repair of parapet and parados knocked in by recent shelling. While
we were at it the Germans sent over trench-mortars, a kind of shell
which rises to a great height, looking like a burning snake, and then
descends and pierces right into the earth, exploding underneath and
sending the earth above it in all directions. The men all crouched
against the parapet with a certain amount of wind up; but they were well
to our left. Giffin, who had a party some distance to our left, said
that they were about ten yards to his right. He and his party were
covered with dirt when one of them exploded. Dickinson and I ceased work
about 1 a.m. and returned. While returning, a thick mist came on.
Dickinson's party was in front; my party following behind his. It was
all we could do to keep in touch; and we almost lost the way. The party
in front kept halting while Dickinson tried to find the way; then they
would go on at a great speed, so much so that we had to run to catch up,
floundering into shell-holes; the men were cursing and swearing, each
thinking that he knew the way himself: on the whole it was a box-up;
but, as usual, we got home all right eventually. No casualties--two days
without any casualties!

"To-day I am Orderly Officer. My period of duty began at 6 p.m.
yesterday and continues until 6 p.m. to-day. My chief duty is to see
that the road is repaired after shelling. There is a party permanently
detailed for the job under Sergeant Baldwin; they do not go out at night
because their working hours are from 4 to 9 in the afternoons.

"Captain Blamey, Captain Bodington, Captain Briggs and Gratton were in
for dinner yesterday evening. Gratton is now Assistant Adjutant at
Headquarters. Every day Colonel Best-Dunkley goes to a certain house
(Hasler House at St. Jean) which has an upstairs still left, and,
through field-glasses, gazes at the front over which we shall have to
advance. On these trips Gratton accompani