At 6-55 p.m., having vacated “A1” for the time, we blew the smaller of the two mines—­in order, it was said, to attract as many of the enemy as possible into his redoubt.  To judge by the volume of rifle fire which came from his lines, this part of the programme was successful, but we did not have long to think about it, for at 7 p.m. the 1500 lbs. went off, and Boche redoubt, sandbags, and occupants went into the air, together with some tons of the salient, much of which fell into our trenches.  A minute later our Artillery opened their bombardment, and for the next half hour the enemy must have had a thoroughly bad time in every way.  His retaliation was insignificant, and consisted of a very few little shells fired more or less at random—­a disquieting feature to those of us who knew the Germans’ love of an instant and heavy reply to our slightest offensive action.  “Stand to,” the usual time for the evening “hate,” passed off very quietly, and, as we sat down to our evening meal, we began to wonder whether we were to have any reply at all.  Meanwhile, three new officers arrived—­2nd.  Lieut.  R.C.  Lawton, of “A” Company, who had been prevented by sickness from coming abroad with us, and 2nd Lieuts.  E.E.  Wynne and N.C.  Marriott, both of whom were sent to “B” Company, where they joined Capt.  Griffiths at dinner.  They were half way through their meal when, without the slightest warning, the ground heaved, pieces of the roof fell on the table, and they heard the ominous whirr of falling clods, which betokens a mine at close quarters.

[Illustration:  Hohenzollern Memorial.]

Before the debris had stopped falling, Capt.  Griffiths was out of his dug-out and scrambling along his half-filled trench, to find out what had happened.  Reaching the right end of “50,” he found his front line had been completely destroyed, and where his listening post had been, was now a large crater, into which the Boche was firing trench mortars, while heavy rifle fire came from his front line.  Except for a few wounded men, he could see nothing of Serjt.  Bunn and the garrison of the trench, most of whom he soon realized must have been buried, where the tip of the crater had engulfed what had been the front line.  For about 80 yards no front line existed, nor had he sufficient men in the left of his trench to bring across to help the right, so, sending down a report of his condition, he started, with any orderlies and batmen he could collect, to rescue those of his Company who had been only partially buried.  Meanwhile, help was coming from two quarters.  On the right, Colonel Martin, of the 4th Battalion, also disturbed at dinner, was soon up in “49” trench, where he found that his left flank had also suffered from the explosion, but not so badly.  His first thought was to form some continuous line of defence across the gap, if possible linking up with the crater at the same time, and, with this object in view he personally reconnoitred the ground and