n a motor as far as a town
half-way. This town (Vlamertinghe) was almost entirely in ruins. There
has been an ancient church there, but only the front of the tower and
all the crucifixes remain. Shells were bursting all about. We sat down
on a fence and waited for another lift. It was most exciting. I have not
got the 'wind up' yet; I am more interested than anything else. I
contemplated a famous hill on my right. Then we got on another motor.
This ride was _most_ exciting, the excitement consisting in whether we
could reach the city without being blown to pieces by the shells which
were exploding to front of us, to right of us, to rear of us, and to
left of us! The road was cut up by shells which had exploded on it, and
trees were felled across it. We jogged a good deal riding over this
debris. We saw one of our batteries on the left of the road which had
been smashed by a German shell. A good many of the transport horses had
been killed on the road last night, but the bodies had been removed by
now. We got out of the car just outside the city and walked into it.
What struggles have taken place here! One could hardly realize that in
pre-war days this had been a great and flourishing city. Just a few
buildings remain standing, and those all in ruins; debris everywhere,
shells constantly exploding everywhere. It is reckoned that the rate of
casualties in this city just now is a thousand a week; military, of
course--there are no civilians here; it is a battlefield where battles
have been fought, where strafing is going on now, and around which a
great battle is about to be fought. One battalion in our brigade went
over the top on a raid last night. Our guns are even now conducting the
preliminary bombardment along the line which precedes a great offensive.
And the Germans are giving it us back too! My companion was very anxious
that we should reach the Prison without personally encountering any
shells. He told me that the corner round which we were passing was a
windy one! But we got inside the Prison safe and sound, and here I now
am writing this while the shells are flying and our guns stationed in
the city are speaking. The top of this building is in ruins as shells
are constantly hitting it, but we are down below, and we have
wire-netting to catch the falling debris.

"I was received by a young Major and the Adjutant, Lieutenant Andrews. I
had lunch with them and the other officers in the (Headquarters)
mess-room."