By this time I had under my command, in addition to my own artillery, 12 batteries of French Field Artillery and six French heavy batteries.
On the 28th the 312th Brigade moved forward at dawn to positions west of Marfaux, and supported a successful attack by the 185th Infantry Brigade on the Montagne de Bligny. The D.A.C. advanced to the vicinity of Courtagnon.
On the 29th we consolidated and pushed patrols forward, and there was some very hard fighting. The 310th Brigade moved at dawn to positions north of Cuitron, and engaged many moving targets with direct observation firing about 1500 rounds per battery during the day. D/310 engaged three hostile batteries with great success. Shortly after mid-day A/310 and C/310 advanced in full view of the enemy to positions near the Moulin de Chaumuzy and engaged machine guns which were annoying the infantry. The 312th also advanced two batteries in close support; B/312 trotted into a position near Chaumuzy under heavy fire, and suffered a few casualties.
Orders came in the afternoon for the British Corps to be withdrawn from the line and entrained to another destination, and after supporting a small operation from 7.45 to 8.45 p.m. the 310th withdrew to their wagon lines.
The 312th Brigade fired, in the early morning of the 30th, in support of a French advance, and then withdrew at 10 a.m. to St. Imoges and thence to Aigny. Divisional Headquarters moved back to Hautvillers.
The Divisional Artillery then marched to Chalons and Coolus, where they entrained on the 1st and 2nd August, and returned to our old neighbourhood. Headquarters were in Pas, the 310th Brigade in Couin, the 312th in Bus, and the D.A.C. in Authie St. Leger.
So ended a very interesting and exciting experience. I think we all felt it a great privilege to have been selected as part of the force sent to help our French comrades against a formidable offensive, and we found them so cordial and pleasant, and so easy to get on with, that we all carried away very agreeable memories of our connection with their 5th Army, in spite of the strenuous nature of the fighting and the many hardships and dangers which we had to face. The fighting was of quite a new and unaccustomed type. It was moving, as opposed to trench warfare, and batteries were continually changing position, and had no more protection than they could dig for themselves in the intervals of firing; they took to it as readily as if they had done nothing else all through the war, and, in spite of all the difficulties of ammunition supply and keeping up communications in the thickly wooded country, they were always ready to open fire up to time, and to support the infantry in their rapid advances. This could only be achieved, however, by the unremitting exertion of every officer, N.C.O., and man, who were fighting and toiling night and day without shelter of any sort, and with never more than a chance hour or two of sleep at a time, from the 20th to the 30th July. Although the infantry suffered very severely, our casualties were not heavy, owing to the indifferent counter-battery work of the enemy, and to the excellent habit, which had become a second nature in all the batteries, of digging themselves in directly a position was occupied. The total losses in the Divisional Artillery in the ten days' fighting were only five officers wounded, nine other ranks killed, and about 60 other ranks wounded.
As some indication of the extent of artillery activity while with the 5th French army, I note here the number of rounds handled during the period by the D.A.C.:
| From railhead to reserve dump, | 18-pr. | How. |
| by lorry | 55,705 | 18,450 |
| Delivered to the guns from the | ||
| reserve dump by limbers | 52,321 | 17,476 |