The remainder of the 7th Brigade was disposed as follows:--25th and 27th Battalions on Cheshire Ridge, the left of the former resting on the Aghyl Dere, and the right of the 27th joining up with the 28th, near Apex. The 26th Battalion was held in Divisional Reserve, at Taylor's Hollow, and supplied working parties for engineering and beach duties. One company of the 27th was available as a reserve in the hands of the Brigadier, who was located about half-a-mile from the front line, at the Western foot of Table Top. [Illustration: THE TRENCHES AT "THE APEX." _Map by Australian War Museum._] For tactical purposes, the "Apex" position was divided into four posts--numbered from the right. "C" Company took Nos. 1 and 2 and was afterwards relieved by "B" Company. "D" Company took Nos. 3 and 4 and later handed over to "A" Company. Nos. 3 and 4 Posts were the closer to the enemy and, consequently, of greater importance. Each post was further divided into a certain number of Groups--each under a Non-commissioned Officer. Three machine guns were mounted in the parapet. After the first week, Lieut. Shaw took these over and also mounted additional guns in secret emplacements, which were constructed by digging through the escarp and tunnelling forward and upward. The trenches were at least six feet deep and excavated in a kind of conglomerate, which needed very little revetting and was a good bullet or splinter stopper. A ledge or firestep ran along the inside of the trench. Upon this the garrison stood if an attack was to be repelled. The instructions for the posts required that men in them were to be always in a state of readiness, _i.e._, rifle loaded, bayonet fixed, and equipment worn. One man in each group acted as sentry. He usually sat on a bag full of earth, placed on the firestep, and by means of a periscope, watched for any movement of the enemy. In the wall of the trench little excavations held boxes of reserve ammunition and hand-bombs of various sorts. The trenches having been commenced only a few weeks earlier, were in a very incomplete state and required much labour and development. Especially was this so in connection with the main communication trenches. Support trenches had also to be constructed and excavations made to establish a direct covered way to the Light Horse, on the southern face of the Rhododendron Spur. These works were undertaken by men from the supports and Battalion reserve. Many hard, long, weary hours were put in with the pick and shovel and the sandbag--which last was the only means of carrying away the spoil.