to another enemy Battery, and so on, all coming back together on to the first enemy Battery after an interval sufficient to lull the human elements forming part of the target into a delusive sense of security and a return to slumber without their masks, or, alternatively, to make them wear their masks continously for prolonged hours of expectation, thus subjecting them to much discomfort, depriving them of sleep, lowering their morale, and making them likelier victims for fresh forms of devilment in the morning.  War is a filthy thing, and must be stamped out ruthlessly.  The facts of gas will have helped to drive this simple conviction into many a thick, egotistical, unsensitive head.  But, as has been wisely said, you cannot half make a war of the modern sort, you cannot let a faint savour of regret hang about all your actions, and enervate your will.  And, in plain, brutal truth, our employment of gas was a big factor in determining and hastening the end.  Of the military efficiency of our gas tactics we had much evidence later on.

We joined in the second part of the gas bombardment in the early hours of the 15th of June, and, when this was nearly over, I got orders to fire at my leisure ten rounds of high explosive at “Archibald,” which was our code name for a certain Austrian searchlight, which used to sweep round the country from the summit of Monte Mosciagh on the far side of the Plateau.  So I fired the ten rounds, and the officer at one of the O.P.’s, whom I had previously warned of my intention, reported that Archibald had gone out after the fourth round, and that, judged by the flashes of their explosions, all the rounds had seemed pretty near.  It was now nearly half-past three, and, conscious that I had a high and rising temperature, I determined to lie down and get a few hours’ sleep.  Some of the gas shell which had been intended for the first part of the bombardment, but had arrived about four hours too late, was still being unloaded from lorries on the road outside.  But I asked a Corporal to look after this, and send the unloading party to bed as soon as they had finished.

I had just fallen asleep when the Corporal awakened me.  Were the men, he asked, to go on unloading the shell?  Still half asleep, I asked why not?  He said that the road was being shelled.  I pulled myself together and went to the door of the Command Post.  Not only the road, but the whole Battery position and apparently the whole area for some distance round, was being bombarded very violently.  So I ordered every one to take cover.  It was just 3.45 a.m.

I thought for a moment that this was merely Austrian retaliation for our first use of gas and for the shots at Archibald.  In fact, it was the beginning of the big Austrian offensive, which had long been prearranged.  During the last few days the Austrians had brought up a large number of new guns to our sector, and had placed a number of them right out in the open.  And owing to the thick fog our airmen had been able