Footnote 1:A failure of this kind was far less due to any indetermination of the men than to the complex nature of the scheme, which any misadventure was capable of upsetting. On this occasion the 'order to retire' was said to have been of German manufacture, but such explanation deserved a grain of salt. Owing to the danger of its unauthorised use, the word 'retire' was prohibited by Army orders.(back)
Footnote 2:In making these remarks I want it understood that I am intending at this point no censure of our staff, whose difficulties in their way were even greater than those of the Infantry, nor am I working up to any impeachment of my superiors in narrating those facts, the omission of which would ruin the value of this story.(back)
Footnote 3:Cross-examination of the men in their duties. They were asked what they would do in various emergencies. Their powers of recognition were also tested. I recollect a humorous incident when General White and Colonel Wake (G.S.O.I., 61st Division) both passedincognito. The situation was well seized by the former, who slapped his chest and declared, 'Such is fame'! Lay readers will find in later chapters some attempt to explain the technical expressions used in the text.(back)
Footnote 4:A secret trench code, intended for use in operations.(back)
Footnote 5:Deliberate shelling to ascertain exact range of targets for a future bombardment.(back)
Footnote 6:B.C.—Boyau de communication, communication trench.(back)
Footnote 7:This fact, which will hardly be credited by future generations, is related from the actual knowledge of the writer.(back)
Footnote 8:At this stage in the war the barrels of many of our guns and howitzers in use on the Western Front were very worn. That fact alone and not any want of care or devotion on the part of our Artillery or staff would have accounted for the 'short shooting' which I record. To locate a worn barrel, when scores of batteries were bombarding together according to a complicated programme, was naturally impossible. Infantry recognised this.(back)
Footnote 9:Nowhere is this truth better expressed than in the words of 'Tommy's' own song, the refrain of which ends:—'But you get your "bob" a day, never mind!'(back)
Footnote 10:For theterrainreferred to in this chapter see the maps ante pp. 83 and 95.(back)
Footnote 11:Defensive artillery, whose inactivity prior to the German attack was intended to ensure against discovery by enemy sound-rangers and observers.(back)
Footnote 12:In the realm of sport a later achievement of the Battalion deserves record. On July 27 at the XI Corps horse-show our team won the open tug-of-war.(back)
Transcriber's note:—Missing page numbers correspond to illustration pages, those illustrations have been moved out of the paragraphs they were cutting to ease the reading.—Page 94: The word "and" has been added in the sentence "The attack was ably dealt with by Tubbs' company of the Bucks -and- had proved abortive for the enemy".—Page 109: "Another development which was destined to play an ever increasing part in the war and to make its closing phases worse in some respects that its early, was the long-range high-velocity gun." The word "that" has been changed to "than".—Index: The number after D.C.L.I. is unclear and as been left as "D.C.L.I., 1 5th".]