Vlamertinghe.  My platoon and Allen’s platoon were in a trench on the right of the Vlamertinghe-Ypres road, across the field stretching from the road to the railway.  Sergeant Brogden’s platoon (6 Platoon) was a little further on.  Dickinson was in command of B Company.  We had our Headquarters in a little wooden dug-out[11] in the centre of the field behind the trench.  Battalion Headquarters were at the Cafe Belge—­a house on the right of the road close by.  ‘XY night’ was the night of July 29-30.  We got a little sleep during the morning.

“For the last fortnight the artillery had been preparing the way for us, raids had been taking place, and conflicts in the air had been of frequent occurrence; the Royal Engineers had been constructing roads and other means of advance; miniature railways were running up to the front line; and the road from Watou, through Poperinghe and Vlamertinghe, to Ypres was simply thronged with transport.  The weather had been fine and hot.  On ‘XY night’ troops were swarming round Vlamertinghe and there was every sign that a great push was about to commence.

“During July 30, in our little wooden dug-out here, Dickinson held conferences consisting of Allen and myself with Sergeant Brogden, Sergeant Baldwin, Sergeants Stokes and, of course, Sergeant-Major Preston and Quartermaster-Sergeant Jack.  Did it occur to us that within twenty-four hours we should all be scattered to the winds—­some killed, others wounded?  I expect it did.  But it did not worry us.  We smiled and discussed plans.  During the day Colonel Best-Dunkley looked in and chatted most agreeably; he was in a most friendly mood.  Padre Newman also looked in.

“At 8.55 p.m.  I marched off with my platoon along Track 1.  All units were moving up to the line.  After I had been going about a quarter of an hour half a dozen shells burst quite close to us, badly putting the wind up us.  We all lay on the ground.  When the disturbance had subsided we moved on again along Track 1, leaving Goldfish Chateau,[12] the one building in that region which stands intact, on our right, along Track 6, touching Ypres at Salvation Corner, along the Canal Bank, again across the open and though La Brique, where the Tanks (commanded by Major Inglis) were congregating ready to go forward on the morrow, to Liverpool Trench.  We reached Liverpool Trench, the assembly trench from which we were to go over the top on the morrow, about 11 p.m....  D and B Companies were in Liverpool Trench, and C and A Companies in Congreve Walk—­the other side of Garden Street.  It was a dull, cloudy night.  The guns were continually booming.  Our howitzers were flinging gas-shells on to every known German battery throughout the night.  The enemy replied by shelling Liverpool Trench and Congreve Walk—­especially the latter.  One shell burst right in the trench, took one of Verity’s legs almost clean off, and killed his servant Butterworth.  The shells were bursting all night.  All our trenches were