The company is marched in column of squads to the site of the trench, approaching it from the rear, and halted with the head of the column fifteen paces in rear of and opposite the right of the section assigned; that is, in rear of the first bay of the section. The second platoon is then conducted by the platoon commander and halted with its head opposite the third bay. The third platoon is in like manner conducted to the rear of the fifth bay. Each platoon commander then has the two rear squads of his platoon, conducted to a point behind the bay on his left, _i. e._, the second, fourth and sixth respectively. This allows two squads for the work in each bay, the leading squad furnishing the first relief and the rear squad the second. The leading squad of each column is then marched to a point two paces in rear of the rear cutting line of the trench, where they take off their packs and lay their rifles on them. The corporal and his rear rank man fall out. The corporal assigns tasks, number ones to the first 2-yard section, number twos to the second and number threes the third. The tasks are shown in Plate 39. The corporal superintends the work. Number 4 rear rank marks out the cutting lines with his shovel around the traverses and starts work on them. Experience has shown that the best method of dividing up the work is to group the men in pairs, one man with a pick and one with a shovel and to prescribe that they relieve each other. The leading squads assigned to each bay work at top speed for 30 minutes. At the end of the twenty-eighth minute the corporal of the rear squad brings his men up and deploys them. At a signal from the platoon commander the men of the first and third squads drop their tools, get out of the trench, and proceed to the rear, where they rest. The men of the second and fourth squads jump into the trench and take up the task. At the end of another 30 minutes this procedure is again carried out. [Illustration: _PLATE 39._ _ORGANIZATION OF A WORKING PARTY_] This scheme of assigning tasks and procedure was given an exhaustive test in 1915 in the course of testing out various types of intrenching tools. It worked to perfection. The bays are first completed, after which the traverses begun by No. 4 rear rank are finished up. Great care should be taken to make the dimensions of the trench as accurate as possible. The squad leader is held responsible for this. He should provide himself with two sticks. On one the following lengths are laid off: 1 foot, width of berms, and height of parapet; 1 foot 4 inches, width of firing banquet, height of firing banquet above bottom of trench, and width of bottom of trench. The other stick has the following lengths measured on it: 4 feet, depth of trench from ground surface to the top of firing banquet; 5 feet 4 inches, depth of trench from ground surface to bottom of trench. (See Plate 15 for dimensions of standing trench.)