"There is no other course open to us but to fight it out. Every position must be held to the last man; there must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight on to the end. The safety of our homes and the freedom of mankind alike depend upon the conduct of each one of us at this critical moment.
"D. Haig,
"Commander-in-Chief British Armies in France."
Divisional Headquarters were now at Henu, and on the 18th a readjustment of the artillery took place, bringing back the 310th to cover their own instead of the 37th Division. The right group now consisted of the 310th and 312th Brigades, and the 187th Brigade, while the 26th, 295th and 296th Brigades formed the left group. The headquarters of the right group was established in a dug-out at Chateau la Haie, and the batteries of the 62nd Divisional Artillery, which had been in the Essarts area, were now distributed about between Foncquevillers and Sailly au Bois. This was not quite so unpleasant an area as the one they had left, and things gradually became a little less strenuous. By the 19th April a French army had arrived in our support, and though it was not brought into action, the knowledge of its presence in close proximity to us was very reassuring.
The infantry of the Division was withdrawn from the line for a rest on the 24th April, and our headquarters moved back to Pas en Artois. The artillery remained in action, and had settled down by the end of the month to the old familiar routine of trench warfare. We had six more officers wounded during April, viz.:
| Lieut. | E. H. Vanderpump | April | 7th. |
| Major | E. W. Jephson, M.C. | " | 8th (for the third time). |
| Lieut. | E. J. C. Sheppard | " | 11th. |
| " | J. E. McIlroy | " | 18th. |
| Major | W. F. Tuthill | " | 22nd. |
| Lieut. | A. E. Cockerell | " | 22nd. |
Twenty-four Military Medals were awarded during the month (v. Appendix).
I insert here a message received from Her Majesty the Queen. The generous sympathy shown for us by all at home, and their unshaken confidence in the army had been a source of great comfort and support to us all during the ordeal we had passed through, and Her Majesty's gracious and touching words were highly appreciated:
"From H.M. the Queen to F.M. Sir Douglas Haig.
"29/4/18.
"To the men of our Navy, Army, and Air Force, I send this message to tell every man how much we, the women of the British Empire at home, watch and pray for you during the long hours of these days of stress and endurance. Our pride in you is immeasurable, our hope unbounded, our trust absolute. You are fighting in the cause of righteousness and freedom, fighting to defend the children and women of our land from the horrors that have overtaken other countries, fighting for our very existence as a people at home and across the seas. You are offering your all. You hold back nothing, and day by day you show a love so great that no man can have greater. We, on our part, send forth with full hearts and unfaltering will the lives we hold most dear. We, too, are striving in all ways possible to make the war victorious. I know that I am expressing what is felt by thousands of wives and mothers when I say that we are determined to help one another in keeping your homes ready against your glad home-coming. In God's name we bless you, and by His help we, too, will do our best.