“Yesterday evening Captain Andrews, Giffin, Dickinson and Allen all went out on working parties.  I remained behind as Orderly Officer.  Captain Briggs and Gratton remained in my dug-out with me.  After a while Gratton had to go to Brigade Headquarters next door to discuss a map with the Brigade-Major.  Soon after he had left us—­about 10.10 p.m.—­a terrific shelling of the city began.  Shells were bursting everywhere; the ground frequently vibrated as if mines were going off; dumps were blown up; and very soon parts of the city were in flames.  It was a sight such as I have never seen before; at times the whole scene was as light as day; the flames encircled the already ruined and broken houses, bringing them to the ground with a rumbling crash.  It was a grand and awful sight—­a firework display better than any at Belle Vue, and free of charge!  The sky was perforated with brilliant yellow light, and the shells were whizzing and crashing all round.  The air was thick with sulphur.  So much so that we did not smell something much more serious than sulphur.  Amidst all the turmoil little gas-shells were exploding all over.  As we could not smell the gas we did not take any notice of it.  We little dreamt what the results were going to be.  We knew not what a revelation the morrow had in store for us!

“At about midnight I went to bed, and at about 6 this morning I heard Giffin returning from his working party.  He was muttering something about gas and saying that he would be going sick with it in a few days, but I was too sleepy to take much notice.  I rose at 10.30 and made my personal reconnaissance of the road, but only found two very serious shell-holes actually on the road.  These I pointed out to Sergeant Baldwin and got his men at them.  Then I began to hear things about gas.  I saw Corporal Flint (our gas N.C.O.!) being led by Sergeant Donovan and Corporal Livesey in a very bad state; he could hardly walk, his eyes were streaming, and he was moaning that he had lost his eyesight.  So I began to inquire as to what was the matter.  I was then informed that there had been a whole lot of men gassed.  Then Captain Andrews sent for me and questioned me about gas last night.  I told him frankly that I had not smelt any.  He said that it was very strange, because when he got back early this morning ‘the place simply stank of it.’  He said that there would be a devil of a row about it; there were about ten casualties already!  But, as time went on, the numbers began to grow rapidly.  Yet I had not smelt it; the sentry had not smelt it; and the Sergeant-Major had not smelt it!  After some time the Colonel appeared on the scene.  He informed us that A Company had got seventy-two casualties from last night’s gas! (A Company were billeted in the Soap Factory, near the Cathedral.) We felt a little relieved, because we realized that ours was not the only company and by no means the worst; so we could not be held responsible, as we were fearing that we might be—­myself in particular, as the only officer on the spot at the time, for not ordering box-respirators on.  I, of course, never thought of ordering box-respirators, considering that I smelt no gas myself!  The Colonel further told us that three officers in A Company—­Walsh, Hickey, and Kerr—­were suffering from gas.  Hickey is very bad.