Lafond was discharged after the battles of Maisonnette, and wrote this book of recollections in the hospital at Abbeville, and afterwards at Montpellier, where he had to undergo a severe operation. Sergeant-Major Lafond’s narrative makes no claim to literary pretension, but it is simply a collection of actual occurrences. It is a series of short narratives which give the life of a company of machine gunners from the day of its formation to the hour when it was so decimated that it had to be reorganized with men from other corps. What pictures the following titles call to mind: “A Reconnaissance in the Fog,” “The Aeroplane,” “Our First Engagement,” “‘We Have Taken a Picket Post,’” “The Attack,” “The Echelon,” “A Water Patrol”! No man who has lived at the front and has taken part in an attack will fail to recognize the accuracy of these narratives and to experience, as well, emotion, enthusiasm, and pride in having been among “those who were there.” This record of adventure was very successful when it appeared in the _Petit Parisien_, and I feel sure that it will be successful in book form. I beg Sergeant-Major Georges Lafond to accept my hearty congratulations on his fine talent and his bravery. MAURICE BARRÈS, _of the French Academy_. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I THE SEARCH FOR MY COMPANY 1 II THE QUARTERMASTER’S BILLETS 11 III THE ECHELON 21 IV THE SONG OF THE MACHINE GUN 31 V A RECONNAISSANCE IN THE FOG 47 VI OUR FIRST ENGAGEMENT 58 VII EASTER EGGS 71 VIII THE AEROPLANE 89 IX DAYS IN CANTONMENT 103 X AN ORDINARY FATIGUE PARTY 122 XI WITH MUSIC 135 XII “WE HAVE TAKEN A PICKET POST” 148 XIII A NIGHT CONVOY 164 XIV THE SONGS OF THE HOMELAND 175 XV A WATER PATROL 188 XVI A COMMANDER 199 XVII THE ATTACK 217 XVIII WITH ORDERS 232 XIX A WREATH 250 XX DISCHARGED 261 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE “HE’S HIT,” SERGEANT LACE CRIES SUDDENLY. AND INDEED HE IS HIT _Frontispiece_ REMAINS OF VILLAGES NEAR THE LINES 36 A POILU 56 A SINISTER GRUMBLING SEEMED TO SHATTER THE FOG 110 THE FRONT LINE TRENCH 154