Beasley, commanding “C” Company, and Lieut.  A.P.  Marsh, of “B” Company, were both wounded, and had to be sent away to Hospital some hours later.  The same night we gave up these undesirable trenches, together with “A5” and “A8” to the 4th Battalion, and took instead “49,” “50” and the Support “51” from the Cheshires of the 5th Division.  These trenches were about 200 yards from the enemy except at the junction of “49” and “50,” where a small salient in his line brought him to within 80 yards.  The sniping here was as deadly as at Kemmel, though round the corner in “A1” we could have danced on the parapet and attracted no attention.  On the other hand “49” and “50” were comfortably built, whereas “A1” was shallow and narrow and half filled with tunnellers’ sandbags, for it contained three long mine shafts, two of which were already under the German lines.  “A2,” “3” and “4” were the most peaceful of our sector, and the only disturbance here during the tour was when one of a small burst of crumps blew up our bomb store and blocked the trench for a time.  This was on the 5th, and after it we were left in peace, until, relieved by the Staffordshires, we marched back to Ouderdom, feeling that we had escaped from our first tour in the ill-famed salient fairly cheaply.  Even so, we had lost two officers and 24 O. Ranks wounded, and seven killed, a rate which, if kept up, would soon very seriously deplete our ranks.

[Illustration:  General map of Flanders to illustrate Chap’ II & III.]

On reaching Ouderdom, we found that some huts on the Vlamertinghe road had now been allotted us instead of our bivouac field, and as on the following day it rained hard, we were not sorry.  Our satisfaction, however, was short-lived, for the hut roofs were of wood only, and leaked in so many places that many were absolutely uninhabitable and had to be abandoned.  At the same time some short lengths of shelter trench which we had dug in case of shelling were completely filled with water, so that anyone desiring shelter must needs have a bath as well.  This wet weather, coupled with a previous shortage of water in the trenches, and the generally unhealthy state of the salient, brought a considerable amount of sickness and slight dysentry, and although we did not send many to Hospital, the health of the Battalion on the whole was bad, and we seemed to have lost for the time our energy.  Probably a fortnight in good surroundings would have cured us completely, and even after eight days at rest we were in a better state, but on the 13th we were once more ordered into the line and the good work was undone, for the sickness returned with increased vigour.