slope the Colonel halted, and allowing the Companies to form up by platoons, waited until it was time to go on.  He judged that he should be somewhere near the original starting line of the Staffordshires.  “C” and “D” Companies came up but there was no Battalion Headquarters and no “B” Company—­incidentally no Adjutant.  The latter, coming out from Brigade Headquarters, found that the Battalion had gone and tried to ride after them.  He merely succeeded in getting into a wire entanglement and having no groom had to leave his mare.  With Lieut.  Ashdowne, the Intelligence Officer, and Scout-Corporal Gilbert—­the only ones left of Battalion Headquarters—­he went on, hoping to catch up the Battalion before they reached the Canal.  Fortunately at 10-45 the mist blew right away, and the sudden daylight which followed showed him where the Battalion lay; it also showed the Staffordshire’s starting tape only 60 yards from where the Colonel had halted.

Until 11-20 we sat in the sun and waited in the hopes that some of the missing people might join us.  We held a short Conference, and the Colonel decided that if there was any more fog or difficulty of any sort, Company Commanders should make their way at once to their places in the “dotted blue” line.  Scouts were sent out to reconnoitre Canal crossings, and as soon as the barrage started for the 4th Battalion’s advance, we moved forward in rear of the 5th Lincolnshires.  There was some scattered shelling, but our formation—­lines of platoons in fours—­was found very suitable.  On reaching the Canal the two right Companies crossed by the remains of an old dam, the left by Riquerval Bridge, and all formed up in the ruins of the famous Hindenburg Line on the far side.  It had been terribly battered, and here and there the remains of its occupants showed how deadly our barrage, and how fierce the assault of the Staffordshires had been.  As we reached the Canal a single Tank was seen coming down from the North, another followed and then others; “our” Battalion had crossed successfully at Bellicourt, so the battle must be going well.

After a short pause, the advance up towards Knobkerry Ridge started.  As we crossed Springbok Valley we could see the 4th Battalion consolidating their newly-won positions on the top, and there was little opposition from this quarter.  On our right, however, there seemed to be a stiff fight going on in Bellenglise, and several dropping shots from machine guns fell round us.  We deployed into the “blob” formation, before ascending the ridge, and for the next half-mile our advance was worthy of a plate in Field Service Regulations.  In front the Colonel, with his eye on Magny village, kept the direction right.  Behind him the three Companies deployed, their “distance” and “interval” perfect, and working so well together that if one was checked for a time, the others saw it at once and conformed.  Behind the centre a small red cross flag and the “red, white and black” marked