In the meantime I had made my way back to the cellar of the chateau, which we were using for a dugout, and the battery to our rear, an Imperial battery, was firing when it received an “S.O.S.”  Suddenly a German airplane hovered over the chateau, describing a half circle behind the Imperial battery, spotting its flash, and immediately wirelessing the location.  Our observers, who were stationed at points on either side, did not notice the manipulation of the airplane at the rear of the battery.  The “S.O.S.” was accompanied by a burst of stars from the Imperial British Infantry, the signal working its way down right into the Canadian lines, where the ammunition was rapidly becoming exhausted.

On account of the trees partially obscuring the flash of the guns of the Imperial battery, the airship that the battery in the chateau saw did not convey the exact information to the German batteries, and when they opened up on the chateau, chunks out of the building and trees and a general ripping up ensued, but their fire did not reach the battery.  In all my experience at the front, in three years, I have never known at one time in one spot such a devastating fire as they put over at that particular time.  There were over seven batteries—­forty guns—­ranging from 3 inch to 8 inch, constantly trip-hammering on the building, and the earth trembled and quivered as though in the throes of an earthquake.

Another gun of our Canadian battery of four guns was here put out of action, leaving two guns out of the six.  From off my gun we had removed the fallen tree, enabling us to get it into action again.  At this time we were receiving the fire from the German batteries on the left rear, left, front and right, leaving only our right rear free from the destruction which was being waged on every other outlet.

Then we gathered up every shell on which we could lay hands,—­shells that had been discarded as defective, and rammed them in the guns as fast as our arms and hands would work.  At that moment the German airplane returned, flying low and turning his machine gun upon us.  We sniped at him with our rifles, but failed to get him.

The Germans had been trying all day to reach Maple Copse, but we held there.  Our artillery observer at Zillebeke now phoned that the Huns were massing in Sanctuary Woods—­“Fire must come from somewhere.”  We pulled the last two guns of the Imperial battery and shoved them out in the open; the crews of the remaining guns of this battery were gone; these guns were 4.05’s.  On they came, and we let them have it beautifully for a good five minutes, and they faltered and fell back.  In another ten minutes they came again, when suddenly hell broke loose from our lines,—­the Empire batteries had opened up on them.  These batteries derived their name from the fact that they were comprised of Australian guns, South African guns, guns from New Zealand, Canada, Scotland, England, in fact every part of the Empire was represented.  For a time