[Illustration:  ANDREW BONAR LAW

The Canadian-born Leader of the Opposition in the British House of
Commons

(Photo by Bassano.)]

Nothing in particular occurred during the night.

The morning of the 27th found our troops occupying the following positions:  North of Zonnebeke the right of the line still held the eastern end of the Grafenstafel Ridge, but from here it bent southwestward behind the Haanebeek stream, which it followed to a point about half a mile east of St. Julien.  Thence it curved back again to the Vamheule Farm, on the Ypres-Poelcappelle road, running from here in a slight southerly curve to a point a little west of the Ypres-Langemarck road, where it joined the French.  In the last mentioned quarter of the field it followed generally the line of a low ridge running from west to east.  On the French front the Germans had been cleared from the west bank of the canal, except at one point, Steenstraate, where they continued to hold the bridgehead.

About 1 P.M. a counter-attack was made by us all along the line between the canal and the Ypres-Poelcappelle road, and for about an hour we continued to make progress.  Then the right and centre were checked.  A little later the left was also held up, and the situation remained very much as it had been on the previous day.  The Germans were doubtless much encouraged by their initial success, and their previous boldness in attack was now matched by the stubborn manner in which they clung on to their positions.  In the evening the French stormed some trenches east of the canal, but were again checked by the enemy’s gas cylinders.

The night passed quietly, and was spent by us in reorganizing and consolidating our positions.  The enemy did not interfere.  This is not surprising, in view of the fact that by Tuesday evening they had been fighting for over five days.  Their state of exhaustion is confirmed by the statements of the prisoners captured by the French, who also reported that the German losses had been very heavy.

On Wednesday, the 28th, there was a complete lull on this sector of our line, and the shelling was less severe.  Some fighting, however, occurred along the canal, the French taking over 100 prisoners.

Nothing of any importance has occurred on other parts of the front.  On the 27th, at the Railway Triangle opposite Guinchy, the south side of the embankment held by the Germans was blown up by our miners.  On the 28th a hostile aeroplane was forced to descend by our anti-aircraft guns.  On coming down in rear of the German lines, it was at once fired upon and destroyed by our field artillery.  Another hostile machine was brought down by rifle fire near Zonnebeke.

Splendid work has been done during the past few days by our airmen, who have kept all the area behind the hostile lines under close observation.  On the 26th they bombed the stations of Staden, Thielt, Courtrai, Roubaix, and other places, and located an armored train near Langemarck, which was subsequently shelled and forced to retire.  There have been several successful conflicts in the air, on one occasion a pilot in a single seater chasing a German machine to Roulers, and forcing it to land.