oming battle in full swing. He told me that the
landing on the Coast is not, he thinks, after all, coming off this time!
In fact Rawlinson's Fourth Army is not to be in it at all. I expect the
German thrust at Nieuport has spoilt Haig's plans there. I am very sorry
indeed. Major Brighten said that the plan is completely changed. This
battle is going to be fought north and south of Ypres with the object of
breaking through here. One would naturally assume so from the number of
maps with which we have been issued. Major Brighten is going down to
the Transport. He will not take part in this battle unless required. He
is on 'battle reserve'; and so are Barlow and Smith as they have arrived
so recently, and have not practised the 'stunt.' Harwood is liaison
officer with the 1/6th Cheshires on our left.

"A and B Companies had a very lively time at dinner this 'X' evening.
West was acting the fool and making us all laugh.

"At 9.30 p.m. the Battalion left Query Camp and we marched to our
concentration trenches beyond Vlamertinghe. The men filed into these
trenches--5 and 8 platoons in the same trench. Battalion Headquarters
are at Cafe Belge on the left of the main road. B Company Headquarters
are in the cellar of the next cottage on the left. About a hundred yards
further on--on the left of the road--is the trench my (8) platoon is in.
The organization of my platoon is as follows: Sergeant Baldwin is
platoon sergeant, and Corporal Livesey is next in seniority after him. I
have five sections. The Bombing Section, under Livesey, consists of
eight all told; Tipping's Riflemen, thirteen; Heap's Rifle-Grenade men,
eleven; two Lewis Gun Sections--Topping and Hopkinson being the
respective section commanders and each having seven in their sections.

"Various articles were drawn from a dump when we got to the trench. We
got to the trench about 11 p.m."

There my diary of the period abruptly closes. For the events which
followed it is necessary to turn to the long letter describing the whole
operations which I wrote home from Worsley Hall a few days later. That
letter describes the Third Battle of Ypres which is the subject of the
next chapter.

CHAPTER XVI

THE BATTLE OF YPRES

(July 31st, 1917)

"'Tis Zero! Full of all the thoughts of years!
A moment pregnant with a life-time's fears
That rise to jeer and laugh, and mock awhile
The vaunted courage of the human frame,
Till Duty calls, till Love and beck'ni