Our barrage could only have been very slight, to judge from the comparatively small amount of damage which was done to the buildings. Here I used 200 rounds of 6-pounder ammunition.
It is difficult to estimate with any accuracy the number of machine-guns actually “put out.” One of my best targets was a party of some thirty men whom we drove out of a house with 6-pounders, and then sprayed with Lewis-gun fire.
I am sure that at least one 6-pounder shell dropped amongst these—this made a distinct impression.
Another target that presented itself was a party of men coming towards us. I do not know whether they intended giving themselves up or whether they were a bombing party—I took them for the latter.
Parties were frequently seen coming up from the rear, through gaps in the buildings.
Twice an enemy officer rallied some dozen or so men and rushed a house that we had already cleared. Here again a 6-pounder through the window disposed of any of the enemy remaining in the buildings.
In regard to the machine-guns in the wood, we could only locate them by little puffs of smoke at which we fired our 6-pounders. We did not take our departure until these puffs had disappeared, and there was in consequence reasonable ground to suppose that the guns had been knocked out. Finally our infantry reached the village. Apparently there was no officer commanding our infantry in this part of the line.
I then moved towards Rœux wood and learnt of a sniper still left in Mount Pleasant wood and a machine-gun, which was causing great trouble, on the railway embankment, and I then made my way back to the railway arch with a view to running parallel with the embankment towards the station, but unfortunately my car bellied in the very marshy ground by the canal.
With regard to casualties, it is my opinion that I was in the district sufficiently long enough, some three hours, to enable the enemy to send for a supply of armour-piercing bullets. All four of my crew were hit whilst in the car.
The Lewis-gun mountings were bad, many targets were lost owing to the time it took to mount the gun, and finally we mounted the gun through the front flaps. The flap of the present mounting does not rise high enough to clear the foresight.