utmost.  Led by their Company Commander in person, the Company left the trench at Zero and started to work along it.  There was wire everywhere, and the going was very bad on top, so that many men of the rear platoons dropped back into the trench and made their way along it—­a fatal mistake.  On nearing the Bellenglise road this Company was met with a perfect hurricane of machine gun bullets from three guns in a nest near the road.  Captain Brooke was hit but continued to lead his men, and, ably backed by Serjt.  Darby, made a gallant attempt to rush the position.  The men still in the trench could give no assistance, and though two prisoners were taken the rush failed, and the German machine guns remained unharmed.  Captain Brooke was twice hit again and with 2nd Lieuts.  Sloper and Buckley, who were both wounded, had to leave the fight.  Serjt.  Darby and L/Cpl.  Smith had been killed close to the enemy’s guns, Serjeant Sullivan was wounded, and for the moment the Company was leaderless.  Lieut.  Corah came up to take command, but by the time he reached the head of the Company it was too late to act, and Forgan’s trench remained full of the enemy.

The occupants of Forgan’s, mostly machine gunners, appear to have realised almost at once the direction of our attack, and opened a hot fire on our left flank as we crossed the Bellenglise road and set off across the valley.  “A” Company felt this severely, but far more severe were the losses of “C” Company and those platoons of “B” which did not make their turn into the village.  These were nearer to Forgan’s trench, and both lost heavily.  The mist and smoke were very thick, connecting files were useless, and the various officers, collecting what men they could find, made their way as far as possible in the right direction.  Lieut.  Hawley with the bulk of “C” Company found a few of the enemy still in the Eastern end of Pontruet, turned them out, and occupied a trench along the edge of the village, facing East.  Further South along this same trench another party of “C” under Lieut.  Steel made use of a small road bridge, and took up a position facing the same way.  The rest of the Company followed Lieut.  Barrett and Serjt.  Spencer and reached the far side of the valley, being joined on the way by some of “B” Company.  A few yards up the bank on the Southern side, Lieut.  Barrett found to his surprise a trench across his route.  The fog was still thick, and this puzzled him—­it had been newly dug during the night—­but, as it was full of Germans, he rushed it, got inside, and turned towards Forgan’s.  He was hit doing so.  Reaching Forgan’s, this party, in which Serjeant Spencer was conspicuous, quickly disposed of three German machine gun posts and their teams, but were then themselves fired at and bombed from several directions.  Undeterred, Lieut.  Barrett, though again wounded, drew his revolver and with it held up one bombing party, while Serjeant Spencer dealt with another.  A bomb burst