e barrage did
not, however, "creep" up to the German front line, but was placed
directly on it at once at zero and lifted back from there, the 6-in.
howitzers lifting slightly before the Field Artillery. The infantry
lay out as close to the barrage as possible before zero, and moved in
_on time_ as soon as the Field Artillery barrage lifted. The attack
was looked upon for some time as a model of really close co-operation
between infantry and artillery.

For this operation, skilfully planned and most gallantly and
successfully carried out, the Division received great praise. The
casualties were 70 officers and 1,700 other ranks. (A very full
account of this operation can be found in the fourth volume of _The
Great World War_, published by the Gresham Publishing Company,
Limited.)

Other incidents of the tour in the Salient were the gallant voluntary
assistance rendered on the 6th July 1915 by Lieut. Smith, 1st North
Staffords (died of wounds), with his grenadier party to a post of the
41st Brigade which was being heavily attacked, and which brought him
the thanks of General Allenby, commanding V Corps; the enemy gas
attack of 19th December 1915, when no actual attack was launched
against the Division, and the minor operations near Turco Farm and
Morteldje Estaminet on 19th-22nd April 1916. Certain trenches, D20 and
21 and Willow Walk, were much overlooked by High Command Redoubt, some
150 yards away. The Germans throughout the 19th April heavily
bombarded these trenches, and succeeded in seizing them at night. One
company 8th Bedfords and two companies Y. and L. delivered a
counter-attack in the early hours of 20th April, but could not retake
the position. The Brigadier-General therefore decided to bombard them
steadily throughout the 21st, and recapture them on the night
21st/22nd April with three companies of the K.S.L.I., then in Brigade
Reserve. This was brilliantly accomplished in spite of the very heavy
going, and the line firmly re-established, but with the loss of
Lt.-Col. Luard, commanding K.S.L.I., who died of wounds. It was found
that the enemy had dug good new trenches in several places, and
equipped them with steel loop-hole plates, and these were occupied
thankfully by our men. The general state of the trenches, commanded as
they were by the enemy's positions, in the water-logged Ypres Salient
during the winter of 1915-1916 defies description, and all praise must
be given to the regimental officers and m