A day or two later Captain Blamey was astonished to receive information from Major Brighten that the very thing I had proposed, and by the very General I had suggested, was going to be done!  So he told him that I had said that this General would probably be the one, because he had done it before; but Major Brighten said that he did not think that he had done it before.  Captain Blamey said that he did not argue the point because he was not sure himself, but he told me about it afterwards.  I told him that this general certainly had done this thing, and referred him to a certain despatch of Lord French.  So at dinner yesterday evening the subject was again brought up.  Major Brighten said that he had forgotten that this general had done this thing before, but accepted my statement as correct.[5]

“Major Brighten went on to say that the Colonel had been debating in Headquarters Mess the question as to who was the countess whose garter Edward III picked up, and nobody knew, could I enlighten them?  I replied that I recollected having read of the incident, but had forgotten the name of the countess!..."[6]

My diary proceeds—­under date July 11: 

“Working party in the evening with Sergeant Clews.  We drew tools at Potijze dump, proceeded up Strand, which has been badly knocked about by shells, and repaired the parapet and parados of the front line to left and right of Strand.  The Germans sent over trench-mortars on our left (about ten yards to the right of Giffin’s party) while we were at it.  Nobody was hurt.  Dickinson had a party further to my right.  It is quite high ground up there, and the front line trench slopes down to the right; over the parados the open ground is much lower, dotted with trees; it looks quite quaint when a flare goes up.  We left about 1 a.m. and returned via Strand, Oxford Road, Pagoda Wood and Potijze.  Then along Track 4.  A thick mist came on, and we very nearly lost our way; I was with my party just behind Dickinson’s party.  We managed to find our way in time.  To bed, 3 a.m.”

“July 12th.

“One shell during the morning so shook the place that my head bumped up and down on my pillow.  Before we were up the Brigade-Major (Thompson) came to see Captain Andrews about working parties.  Brigade are very pleased with our work, especially as the ——­ left their work unfinished, owing to wind up about trench-mortars!

“Up 2 p.m.  Platoon inspections.  Then lunch.  From the sound I should imagine that our preliminary bombardment for the forthcoming offensive is beginning.  Our artillery here is sending a good deal of stuff over.  At 6 p.m.  I commenced a period of twenty-four hours as Orderly Officer.  My main duty consists of seeing that the road outside is cleared after heavy shelling:  for this object, Baldwin has a party permanently on the job.”

FOOTNOTES: 

[5] See Appendix III.