The next day the Commanding Officer, Adjutant, and Company Commanders visited the section of the Red Line for which the battalion was to be responsible in the event of a hostile attack. The trenches were only just on the far side of the road, and appeared well situated. Gangs of Chinese were busy—after the leisurely fashion of British workmen—deepening and continuing the trench system.
Photo by Gale & Polden, Ltd., Aldershot.
LIEUT.-COL. HON. N. C. GATHORNE HARDY, D.S.O.
Time was, in the old Armentières days, when we thought the scheme for occupying the enemy trenches, if he should retire, complicated and changeable. Compared with the multifarious schemes that now began to pour in on us in connection with the Red Line, that old operation order, with all its amendments and cancellations, faded into complete insignificance. Between this date and our going into the line at Gommecourt on May 6th there were not only four distinct schemes, one of which was a counter-attack in conjunction with tanks, but amendments were issued almost daily, altering the original scheme in the most drastic way. By way of encouragement, each set of orders was prefaced by the words, "The enemy is expected to attack at an early date"; and, indeed, the "powers that were" certainly had made up their minds that a general offensive was to open against us at any moment on that part of the front. However, that is rather a matter for the future.
After two damp and uncomfortable days at Authie we retraced our steps for some distance, and then marched off to Pas. Our route lay for the first part through villages packed with French soldiers—fine, big, upstanding men in the prime of life—who gave us and our bugles a rousing reception as we marched through.
Our billets—or rather bivouacs—we found were situated in Pas Wood, and once more on the top of a precipitous hill, the transport being in a field at the foot. The 2/7th K.L.R. and ourselves shared a section of the wood on a narrow strip of the crest-line of the hill. A sandy lane ran along the edge of the wood, giving access to our "bivvies," which were strung out in twos and threes for a considerable distance, as the wood descended below this strip very suddenly to the valley beneath us. On the other side of the lane was an open field, but there were considerable restrictions as to the erection of any tents, etc., in the field, as our presence in the wood was supposed to be a secret.
Fortunately, the weather was fine and sunny when we took over our bivouacs, and we were able to settle into our tents and ground-sheet shelters pretty comfortably. In fine weather it was not bad, but on cold wet days, of which we had a fair proportion, it was damp and chilly beyond description; and the difficulties of obtaining exercise apart from working parties—for we were still under the one hour's notice to move—proved very disastrous to the health of the battalion; and this was made worse by the quantity of vermin, occasioned by the bad conditions of living and the lack of facilities for bathing for a long period.