sit in his dug-out listening for a German bomb.  If he heard one he would rush out, coat off and sleeves rolled up, and throw back as many Mills’ bombs as he could lay hands on, a formidable attack, for he could throw a tremendous distance. 2nd Lieut.  A.E.  Brodribb was also a keen bomber who would stand at a post and send back bomb for bomb until he had the Boche beaten.  Meanwhile the Battalion anarchists, though they had bad luck with the “West” spring gun, which got buried in the bombardment, were very successful in other ways.  Serjeant Goodman, with his catapult, flinging home-made infernal machines, first from one post, then from another, must have been very annoying to the German sentries, while Cpl.  Archer, firing salvoes of rifle grenades, eight at a time, always had a quietening effect on any Boche bomber who ventured to try his luck in this way.  So far as bombs were concerned we had the upper hand, but the Boche could always start heavy shelling or mortaring, and against this we seemed to have no effective retaliation.  He did particularly heavy damage with these one morning in this tour, a few hours after we had been visited by General Byng, the Corps Commander, who went round the front line.  On this occasion we had two killed and six wounded by a direct hit on the trench, while the F.O.O., who was observing at the time, was also badly wounded.

Towards the end of the tour the situation became quieter and we went once more into the Talus to wait for relief by the 25th Division, whose advance parties had already visited the line, and who were expected in a few days.  The Boyau d’Ersatz, re-named Ersatz Alley for the sake of simplicity, had lately been heavily shelled, and it was therefore decided to open up Boyau 1, 2, 3, as an alternative route to trenches, calling it “Wortley Avenue,” in honour of the Major General.  Parties from all companies worked day and night at this, soon making it passable, though it would always be dangerously exposed to view.  Unfortunately “A” Company were shelled one day while at work, and we lost 2nd Lieut.  Pickworth, who had to be sent to Hospital, and eventually to England, with a bad wound in the lungs.

Meanwhile offensive mining operations were being undertaken by both sides with increased activity.  The British Tunnellers, who had relieved the French mining companies, found that in several places, unless they themselves blew big mines at once, the Boche would blow them instead, so blew big craters without delay.  To this the Boche retaliated, and for the past week there had been an average of two mines a night on the Divisional front, most of them in the sector on our right.  But on the night of the 20th our Brigade was also involved, and the 4th Lincolnshires lost most of their centre company in an explosion which demolished nearly 100 yards of their front line.  The shock was terrific, and could be felt so violently even in our valley behind, that Captain Barton went to see what had happened.  Some half-hour later, when the Lincolnshire C.O. went to the scene of the disaster, he found the “Doc” there by himself, digging out an injured man in the middle of the gap.  No British troops had yet arrived, and his nearest neighbours were the Boche lobbing bombs from the other side of the new crater.