THE BATTLE OF FLANDERS. GERMAN SHELLS SEARCHING THE NEWLY CAPTURED GROUND NEAR LANGEMARCK.
Active steps were taken to cope with the situation. Stringent orders were issued as to care of feet, and a place for foot washing was arranged at Tissage Dump. Each man came down daily, changed his gum-boots and socks, washed his feet, and had some hot soup. Men in the front line were, as far as possible, changed daily. Extra duck-boards were taken up, so that raised platforms could be erected clear of the water; and hot food was sent up as often as feasible. So successful were our efforts, and so effective the support given to our schemes by all ranks, that only two men were affected by foot trouble. The position of companies in the line was "C," "A," "B" from the right; "D" Company was in the subsidiary line. Work on drainage was commenced with great activity, and snipers, who had been warned to be especially on the alert, claimed several hits on Germans climbing over collapsed portions of their trenches. On January 22nd the Divisional Commander visited the sector to examine conditions for himself.
The only anxiety felt in regard to the enemy arose from our temporary abandonment of our left company front. This was on the near side of a plateau of which the enemy held the farther side; and it would have seriously affected our hold on our sector if he had taken it into his head to occupy our old posts. Patrols visited their locality almost continuously at night and fired Véry lights and occasional rounds. By day our absence was more conspicuous, as No. 7 Post at this time was a regular rendezvous for wild duck, who used to swim in and out of it with great nonchalance.
One problem that was raised during this tour was the question of the holding of the brigade front when the forthcoming reduction of a brigade to three battalions took effect; and the possibility of holding the front with two companies instead of three had to be carefully investigated.
On the 24th the battalion was relieved by the 2/7th K.L.R., and moved into billets in Armentières, with Battalion Headquarters at the Convent. Colonel Fletcher, having returned from leave, resumed command of the battalion.
On February 1st the long-expected dissolution of the 2/5th K.L.R. took place simultaneously with the reduction of the number of battalions on the Western Front. A large number were posted to the 13th Battalion K.L.R., but the 2/7th K.L.R. and ourselves shared the balance, our share consisting of seven officers and 180 other ranks. This was a considerable accession of strength, though a large portion of it was paper strength and not actual. But at any rate Captain Williams, 2nd-Lieutenants Wilson, Hooper, Jacobs, and a little later Thomas, actually materialized, together with a considerable number of men, including certain specialists, in which, owing to the loss of our Headquarters Staff at Armentières, we had long been deficient. Amongst them were a sergeant-bootmaker, Sergeant Cox, of the 1st King's, and a sergeant-cook, Sergeant Austin, from the London District School of Cookery.
The presence of these two men was of very great value to the battalion, because, though an army is said to "march on its stomach," it is equally true that it marches on its boots, and both stomachs and boots were now amply provided for. Wilson, Hooper, and Jacobs were posted to "C" Company. The arrangements for the acclimatization and fitting out of the draft had to be done quickly, as the next day we once more relieved the Scottish in the front line.
This relief was duly carried out by 8.35 p.m. Two companies only were to hold the front and support lines, "C" on the right, "D" on the left; while "A" and "B" manned the subsidiary line. The sector, though still very wet, had much improved since we were last in. All the trenches forward of the subsidiary line were, it is true, to some extent under water, but not to any depth, and dry standings were available in every post.
The tour was quiet in all respects, with just the normal amount of casual shelling on either side, but nothing more. A visit from seven R.F.C. officers afforded a slight comic relief. Only one had ever been in the trenches before, and most of them were unprovided with either respirators or tin hats. One tall officer caused considerable amusement by walking the whole length of the subsidiary line doubled up, till he realized at last that inflicting such discomfort on himself was entirely unnecessary. His fears, however, were probably mild compared with those of an infantryman making a trial trip in an aeroplane over German territory.