“7th and 8th platoons were merged into one under Giffin.  I commanded the left wing, consisting of the sections of Lance-Corporal Topping and Lance-Corporal Heap.  We were the fourth wave, supporting the two platoons of Gratton and Allen who were in the third wave.  The idea was that another brigade had taken all the strong points, and our brigade had to push forward past them and penetrate the enemy’s lines to a certain distance, consolidate, and repel counter-attacks.  The other brigades were supposed to have gone over the top at dawn.  So we went over at 7 a.m.  We went forward very nicely, under cover of a ’creeping barrage’ which was represented by drums rumbling and flags waving.  At the little village of (Noir Carme) Giffin went to the right, and I took Topping’s and Heap’s sections through the village and round to a field the other side where I turned half-left and awaited Giffin’s arrival on the right.  When he came up we all advanced to our final objective which was in advance of the Battalion’s objective.  We have to go to the outpost line.  Then we sent off flares to signal to the aircraft that we had reached our objective; and then we were supposed to be digging in and putting out wire, patrolling, and resisting counter-attacks!  As a matter of fact we sat there for a an hour or two.  My two sections were on the extreme left of the whole Brigade.

“At 11.30 the stunt was declared over and the men went home; but General Stockwell wished to see all the officers in the Brigade.  So we assembled near the aerodrome.  The General was very agreeable; he was in a most agreeable and accommodating mood; he seemed very pleased indeed with everything.  He spoke for about twenty minutes on the operations.  He is really a brilliant speaker.  He said that on the whole the advance was carried out very well indeed, that the right was not quite so good, but that the left was very good indeed; we kept our dressing splendidly!  Giffin and I exchanged glances of satisfaction.  At the close of his speech General Stockwell said that we must do the scheme once or twice again, and asked the colonels (Best-Dunkley, Hindle, Heath, and Balfour) whether 9.30 to-morrow morning would be agreeable on the training area.  Colonel Best-Dunkley said that it would do quite well; but Colonel Heath objected that the men were all tired and would require some sleep—­would not Friday be better?  ’Very well then; I’m quite agreeable to have it on Friday; you can do what you like to-morrow,’ replied the General in a jovial tone.  We were all very pleased.  The conference over we set off back.  Thus ended our first ‘dress rehearsal’!

“When we got back we had some lunch.  Then, at 2 in the afternoon we went to bed.  At 5.30 Critchley wakened me with the information that there was a conference of all officers at the aerodrome at 6.  Allen immediately got the ‘wind up,’ but I pointed out to him that even if it were correct, which I doubted, the thing was now out of the question so far as we were concerned; so we might as well remain in bed and get up at our leisure.  As a matter of fact, the information turned out to be incorrect:  it was merely company commanders who were required—­Halstead had gone.