Loisne Chateau and Raux Farm—­our old Brigade Headquarters of 1915, now a German machine gun and trench mortar nest—­to the S.W. outskirts of Le Touret and on to the canal at Mesplaux.  Except for the old keeps at intervals, it consisted entirely of a few small holes dug more or less at random, with little or no wire in front.  Behind this, along the whole Divisional front ran the Liverpool Line or Reserve Line, slightly deeper and better sighted than the frontline, and defended by the “Beuvry river,” a small stream running between steep banks and reputed to be uncrossable by tanks.  Gorre and Le Hamel villages came behind this line, and provided Battalion Headquarters with cellar accommodation, and the Support Battalions with billets of a sort.

Farms in the front line were not too plentiful, and Company Headquarters usually consisted of a hole 4ft. by 2ft. by 2ft. into which the Company Commander could just squeeze himself, and curl up his feet to avoid having them kicked and trodden on by the men passing along the ditch outside.  Rations came to Gorre and Essars by rail and limber, and were carried forward by hand over the top to the front line.  Except for occasional bursts of fire on certain roads and villages, particularly Essars and Gorre, the enemy was on the whole quiet.  These were small gas bombardments, and one or two really bad days, but for the most part it was a quiet sector, except round Route A.

Behind the villages came the La Bassee Canal with all the bridges mined and demolition parties ready to blow them up in the event of a hostile attack.  The idea of course was that they should be blown after the last Englishman N. of the Canal had either been killed or had crossed it.  That the bridges would get demolished all right, none of us ever doubted for a moment; we were equally certain that this would take place on the first alarm of any attack, and those of us who happened to be on the North bank would thus be compelled to fight to the end or swim.  Fortunately these warriors were never called on to perform.

Vaudricourt Park was the rest area.  At first, bell tents and a few bivouacs were all the available cover, but in time, as corrugated iron could be sent down from old horse lines in the forward area, messhuts, cook-houses and canteens were built.  There were no long spells of wet weather and when it was fine the Camp in the Park was delightful.  It was never shelled and never bombed, and it is hard to imagine a better place.  Verquin and Vaudricourt provided the necessary estaminets and the soldiers could obtain as much vin blanc (or “Jimmy Blink” as it was more popularly called) as they desired; while one Bertha made large sums of money by inserting a slip of lemon peel into a glass as cheap champagne and selling it to officers at an exorbitant price as a “champagne cocktail.”  The country round provided good ground for a sports meeting, in which “A” Company were victorious, while “D” Company managed to finish a close second in most events.  Lieutenants Everitt and Quint and Private R.O.  Start were the chief runners, but large numbers took part and tremendous keenness was displayed by all.  There was cricket almost every day in the Park, and great enthusiasm was shown in the Battalion Championship, won by Headquarters.