progress made for some time. Defensive works included the deepening of
the front line trench, which was carried down to a depth of ten feet--in
some places--without any material increase in width. This was the policy
of the day and was based on securing immunity from shrapnel fire. Had
the enemy used heavy shells, with delayed action fuses, these same
trenches would have proved veritable death traps for their garrisons.
Near the junction of "C" and "A" Companies' sectors, two tunnels were
driven in the direction of the enemy's lines. From the heads of these,
it was intended to construct a lateral underground trench, which would
join up with the forward works of the neighbouring battalion on the
left. The trench was to be completed almost entirely underground, and
then finally the crust of earth would be broken through in one night and
the enemy at dawn would discover a finished work having a command of
the whole of that portion of the Dere as well as the ravine running down
from the north. The Battalion did not stay in this sector long enough to
witness the completion of its labours and the work was afterwards
carried on by the 4th Brigade.

The scarcity, which has been referred to, of timber and iron was
exemplified in another manner when a change in garrisons took place.
Units marching in and out of a position would take their precious bits
of wood and sheet iron with them and their transport was personally
supervised by an officer. This, in the case of a company or battalion
being relieved, sometimes led to the partial dismantlement of works. As
a result stringent orders on the subject were issued. These were not
always regarded as they should have been. Once, during the gales, a
barge laden with timber was wrecked, and her load distributed along the
beach, at the foot of Chailak Dere. Within a few hours--whilst the
Engineers were thinking of organising salvage parties--the whole of the
spoils had disappeared into the valleys and up the slopes of the Light
Horse and Infantry positions.

The prominence given to sniping has been referred to earlier. To counter
the Turks' efforts in this direction, the Brigadier organised a body of
men composed of expert rifle shots, chosen from each battalion. This was
placed under the command of Captain H. B. Menz, of the 28th Battalion,
who had Lieut. W. P. Devonshire, 27th Battalion, to assist him. These
snipers were equipped with powerful telescopes and were disposed in
carefully