In the early hours of the morning, after relief, it began to freeze. In a short while everything was as hard as iron, and remained so all the time we were in. Except for the acute cold, frost was perhaps not an unmixed evil; one could move about with comparative ease, and everything was hard and dry, instead of soft and sodden. Dry cold is always less insidious than damp cold, and that there was so little sickness caused by this tour was due to the frost. However, it seriously interfered with the wiring programme and the elaborate arrangements made for the improvement of the positions by the addition of small elephants, etc., which we arranged to be sent up. Salvage was abundant, thousands of pounds' worth of Lewis gun drums, machine guns, and other material being scattered in every direction, but it was frozen so hard that only a small quantity was eventually retrieved. Hot tea and stew were brought up nightly on mules to Battalion Headquarters. It was carried in petrol-tins placed in haversacks and packed round with hay. In spite of the four hours which the party took coming from the Quartermaster's stores, the system of packing stood the test, and gave the men in the line the great benefit of warm drinks and warm food. During the night everyone took the maximum amount of exercise possible to restore the circulation. Even the stuffy atmosphere of a pill-box did not keep one warm, and by day it was necessary to wear two sand-bags over each foot to prevent them being reduced to a frozen condition. Each morning, as so often happens during a sharp frost, there was a heavy white mist till the sun got well up. During this time movement about the sector was comparatively safe, though very slippery, and tours of the line by Brigade and Battalion Staffs generally took place about this time. On one occasion the Commanding Officer and Lieutenant Huntley, going round, made so much noise through merriment over the sudden fall of Captain Patteson on a frozen shell-hole, that the Germans opened rapid fire with "minnies," fortunately without any damage being done. They shelled certain spots regularly—Les Cinque Chemins, "J" Post, Battalion Headquarters, and a few other localities.
Egypt House, the 2/5th K.L.R. Headquarters, dropped in for frequent bursts; and the efforts of a siege gunner to range on the White Chateau from our Headquarters produced such violent retaliation on Egypt House that we had in common decency to request him to desist.
On December 19th "C" Company relieved "D" Company in the front line, and "B" Company relieved "A" Company in support. This movement was completed at 9.25 p.m. "A" Company had some gas casualties on the way back, the track being twice shelled; and Captain Bowring, having to put on his small box-respirator for the second time, was disgusted to find that the valve was frozen solid. He tore it off and pulled on his "P.H." helmet, only to find that he had got it back to front. Next moment he fell into a shell-hole, so, pulling off the helmet, he ran for all he was worth down the duck-boards, and escaped anything worse than a slight touch of sickness. The next afternoon a carrying party of "C" Company near Koekuit was caught in a "crash," and six men killed. The destructive area of a shell striking frozen ground is, as may be supposed, very considerable.
Lieutenant Freeman, the Transport Officer, and his mules had several experiences in their nightly visit to the line, the most amusing being the short cut over the Broembeek which he attempted one night. The mules were got over the single plank bridge without difficulty, but after the bridge had been duly crossed it was found that the party was on an island from which there was no other exit. Time had been wasted during this operation, and when the party once more reached the plank bridge dawn was not very far distant. Gladly, however, as the mules had crossed the bridge in the first instance, now they one and all refused to venture on it. Everything was tried, but without success, and Lieutenant Freeman began to see himself revealed to the attentive gunner when daylight should disclose his unlucky situation. Eventually recourse was had to one of our own batteries, and after long and arduous efforts on the part of all concerned the mules were persuaded to cross the bridge.
On December 21st the battalion was relieved by the 2/7th K.L.R. "D" Company completed their relief at twelve noon, but the handing over of the line was not effected till 9.30 p.m. The 2/7th K.L.R. took over with a new scheme of defence, the main principle of which was that the strength of the front line garrison was increased to six platoons.
It was a long and weary march back to Canal Bank, but the enemy left Clarges Street alone, confining his attention to Hunter Street, the next track, which he shelled persistently.
The next day, about 4 p.m., the Germans carried out a raid on Turenne Crossing, in the right battalion area. We were suddenly startled by the sight of the S.O.S. signals going up—two reds and a white—and next moment our guns opened. The number of S.O.S. signals covered such a front that a stand-to was ordered, but before long we discovered that it was only a raid. However, the 2/5th K.L.R. had to send up two companies, and our luck in having taken Canal Bank instead of Baboon Camp stood us in good stead.
Our stay at Canal Bank was a short one, for which no one was particularly sorry, for, if better than Baboon Camp, it was still a miserable spot. On Christmas Day we were relieved by the 2/9th K.L.R., and moved to Emile Camp, near Elverdinghe, where we found some really comfortable huts in which we happily installed ourselves. Christmas Day, from the weather point of view, proved a model of all that it should have been. Everything was covered with snow, and the sun shone in a brilliant blue sky. Owing to our anticipation that we should be in the line on Christmas Day, little preparation had been made for dinners till the very last minute, when Captain Smith, the newly arrived Quartermaster, by almost superhuman energy, succeeded at last in buying a pig. This made on Boxing Day a pleasant, if somewhat limited, addition to the rations, which, together with plum puddings, and a large quantity of cigarettes and toffee sent by the generous donors to our Comforts Fund, made quite a good Christmas dinner. Huts were decorated, and good humour abounded.