This second ridge was more in the nature of a large plateau, stretching back to Villers-au-bois, and separated from the Vimy ridge by a narrow steep-sided valley—­the “Talus des Zouaves,” where the support Battalion lived in dug-outs.  Crossing the plateau from North to South was the main Bethune, Souchez, Arras road, on which stood the remains of an old inn, the Cabaret Rouge, where some excellent deep dug-outs provided accommodation for the French Poste de Colonel and an Advanced Dressing Station.  The plateau was two miles wide, and over the first half (up to “Point G”) ran a long and very tiring duck-board track; beyond “Point G” were two communication trenches to the line.  One, “Boyau 1, 2, 3,” was seldom used, being in bad condition; the other, “Boyau d’Ersatz,” was boarded and well cared for, and used by all.  It ran via the Cabaret Rouge into the Talus des Zouaves, most of the way revetted with a wonderful “wedding arch” revetment, and thence to the front line, passing the left Poste de Commandant.  The forward part of “Boyau 1, 2, 3,” East of the “Talus,” was called “Boyau Internationale,” leading to “Boyau Vincent” and so to the front line past the right Poste de Commandant.  Carency, Ablain and Souchez were houseless, Villers au bois was little better, and our rest billets were huts at Camblain L’Abbe, about four miles behind the line.

The Brigade took over the left sector of the Divisional front and we were allotted the left sub-sector, our right and left boundaries being the two Boyaus “Internationale” and “Ersatz.”  The whole relief was to be kept as secret as possible, and all reconnoitering and advance parties were given French helmets to wear in the line, so that the Boche might have no idea what was going to happen.  It was a little disconcerting, therefore, when a French listening post, two days before the relief, reported that a Boche had suddenly looked into their post, and after saying “Les Anglais n’sont pas encore donc arrives,” equally suddenly disappeared.  In spite of this we were not disturbed during the relief and by 10-30 p.m. on the 9th had taken the place of the 68th Regiment, who marched out at one end of the trench as we appeared at the other, having told us that we had come to a very quiet sector.  The trenches were in fair condition, though very dirty, and we had a quiet night so began to hope that the sector might not be too terrible after all.  The next day the French left the area, leaving behind them two companies of Engineers to carry on the mining operations on the Divisional front.  In handing over their posts the French had said nothing about their countrymen whom they were leaving in the mines, and during the first night several of them, coming up from below and talking a strange language, narrowly escaped being killed for Boche.