Bourlon Wood showed little signs outwardly of the hurricane fire to which it had been treated both in 1917 and again recently. It covers a large area, but is chiefly composed of small bushy trees with but few of the large and stately boles which show the effect of shell fire so markedly. Inside the wood the scent of gas was still fairly strong; while derelict tanks and endless fragments of foreign and British equipment served to show what hard fighting had taken place in its green glades. Forward of Fontaine the country to our immediate front was far less bold in its hills and valleys than the ground that we had traversed. It still consisted of rolling downs, but the slopes were gradual and less pronounced; and whole areas, especially in the vicinity of the canal, were dead flat right up to Cambrai itself, of which one could obtain a good view from the high ground on which Bourlon Wood itself stands. Columns of smoke could be seen rising from the town, and not infrequent explosions showed that the enemy was preparing for his departure.
An unpleasant incident had occurred with a "booby trap" at Riencourt, which caused the death of a rifleman and hurled Quartermaster Smith to a considerable distance. Consequently, when the fire by the Battalion Headquarters tent suddenly blew up, lodging a considerable quantity of hot potato in the eyes of the cook, we were somewhat alarmed. It turned out, however, to be only a small bomb detonator that the heat had exploded.
While we were in bivouac here word came that the Commanding Officer had been awarded the D.S.O. Although he modestly referred to it as being a recognition of the merit of the battalion, all ranks felt that it was richly deserved. His unofficial exploits in rallying and taking forward stragglers from other units had been noted with approval by the men, and throughout the operations he had been conspicuous by his total disregard of personal safety.
On October 4th we moved up from reserve into support with two companies ("A" and "B") in the Marcoing Line and "C" and "D" Company in support. Battalion Headquarters were to have occupied the Chateau Pill-box at the corner of La Folie Wood, but this was already in occupation, and eventually they were accommodated for the night in a deep dug-out in the sunken road some two or three hundred yards farther back and next door to Brigade Headquarters.
Next morning (October 5th), most unfortunately, Brigadier-General Longbourne was wounded while patrolling in front of the advanced posts. Though his wounds were not at first thought serious, they proved worse than had been suspected, and we saw him no more. He was a fine leader of men, a most gallant gentleman, and as popular with the men as with the officers. No one could wish for a better Brigadier.
The Commanding Officer assumed command of the Brigade, and Major C. W. Wilson of the battalion.
The same morning Battalion Headquarters moved up to the Chateau Pill-box. This was a small concrete erection, of no strength, and the inside was literally covered with flies. Besides this there were various wooden "bivvies" and slit trenches for the men, into which all soon settled. A large number of demolition charges littered the ground in wooden cases about the size of a box that would contain a dozen bottles of beer. These charges seemed to have an unholy attraction for some people. A pioneer was found hacking the casing off one for firewood; the cooks made a screen round their fire with others; while a signaller was found carrying one into the pill-box to put his candle on. They may have been safe enough, but you can never tell.
It was certainly a most unpleasant corner that we were in. There were 8-inch howitzers just behind us which fired at frequent intervals, while the enemy kept us pretty occupied with shells. We had several wounded, two cooks in one instance, bending over their fire, being simultaneously disabled by a "whizz-bang," and the breakfast spoilt. All night long revised orders as to defensive positions to be maintained along the canal bank kept coming in, which kept the companies always on the move.