Pushed and the Return Push | Page 9

Defence File papers and the maps on the wall, sir?" I
asked the colonel, my mind harking back to newspaper accounts of
German strategic documents captured by us in some of our advances.
"Tear them up and put them on the fire. We won't destroy this
map"--pointing to a neat and graphic piece of coloured
draughtsmanship showing infantry and artillery dispositions--"until we
have to."
I got to work, and the fire crackled joyously. "Don't say we shall have
to leave these to the Hun, doctor!" I said in shocked tones, picking up
four copies of his adored 'Saturday Evening Post.'
The doctor smiled vaguely, but answered nothing.
Hostile shelling had ceased in our neighbourhood. The sound our ears
waited for was the "putt--puttr--putt" of machine-guns, always the

indication of a near infantry attack. I went out and made sure that the
look-outs at both ends of the quarry were doing their work, and found
our little Headquarters army, twenty-five men all told, quiet and steady,
and ready for the moment, should it come.
Half an hour slipped by. We spoke on the telephone to D Battery, who
were on high ground. No, they could see no wave of German infantry
approaching; but Bullivant, B Battery's major, who for the time being
was commanding C Battery's rear uncaptured guns as well as his own
rear and forward 18-pounders, said Huns were coming up en masse
from the south-west. "My guns are firing at them, and A's forward guns
are shootin' as well," he went on. "No! I have seen nothing of our
infantry, but observation is still bad; pockets of mist still about. About
Bliss" (the signalling officer who had gone out in the morning and not
returned). "Oh! he stayed some time at our forward position and then
said he was going to get over to A Battery to see why they were cut off
from communication. A lot of 4·2's were coming over at the time, and
there were snipers about. He had to duck three or four times on the way
and then disappeared from view."
Dumble, captain of A Battery, who had come up from the waggon line,
dropped in and hurried off, saying he was going forward to see if he
could get anywhere near the Battery.
3 P.M.: No further developments. "I'm going over to see General ----,"
announced the colonel, naming the brigadier-general commanding the
Infantry Brigade we were covering.
Five minutes later the adjutant of an infantry battalion on our left rang
through and told me that large numbers of Germans were over the crest
and advancing towards what the map showed me was our A Battery's
forward positions. I put A Battery's rear position guns to fire on them
by the map, and guessed that the Battery's forward guns would be hard
at it already.
The colonel came back from the Infantry Brigade, quiet and
self-possessed as ever. "Defence in depth means forces more scattered,
and greater difficulty in keeping up communication," he remarked,

taking a chair and lighting a cigarette. "As far as can be gathered, the
situation is this: The Boche got through in force on our left and the --th
Division gave way. That bared our own Division's left flank, and is the
reason why the --rd Brigade had such a bad time and lost so many guns.
The enemy is still coming on; and he's doing too well, also against the
--th Division on our right. Our own people say he has worked past their
outposts, but that so far as is known they are holding out. The main
battle positions are still safe, and a counter-attack is being arranged. No
news at all of what is happening farther north!" This was the longest
speech the colonel made on that 21st of March.
4 P.M.: I telephoned to the regimental sergeant-major and told him to
come up with the mess cart and the G.S. waggon for remaining kit, and
ordered the servants to pack up. Twenty minutes later Dumble returned,
dusty and dispirited.
"Well, Dumble, what news?" inquired the colonel quickly.
"I couldn't get to the Battery, sir--the enemy are round it, between it
and our infantry," began Dumble in cut-up tones.
"The nearest I got was in a trench held by the 7th Westshires. An
officer told me that an advanced party of the enemy came over the crest
about 12.30. They fired Very lights in response to a Hun contact plane
that flew towards the switch-trench leading N.E. towards the battery.
By 2 o'clock more enemy infantry were coming from the south,
apparently to join up with the advanced party who had sat tight. Both A
and B Batteries fired on this new body, and they seemed to me
dispersed. But by half-past three, while I was there,