We were much interested by a force of Indians close to us, the Lahore Division I heard afterwards, and they seemed full of the stoicism of the East. Though no shells fell amongst us, we saw one burst with sad effect among a column of Indians on the march. Our quiet morning was a great contrast to our desperate advance in the afternoon. I must here explain in a few words the situation. We were in the Ypres salient and were thus exposed to the enemy from the east, north, and south. On the previous day we had checked the enemy on the east, but a new danger now threatened the British positions from the north side of the salient, the French colonials having been driven out of the village of St. Julien. There was thus a danger of the troops in the salient being overwhelmed by an advance of the enemy from St. Julien, with the consequent fall of Ypres. As this town was the old capital of Flanders, the moral effect would have been great, besides opening the road for further progress towards Calais; it had therefore to be defended at all costs. The position of the English troops was insecure; they had suffered great losses; their artillery was almost powerless owing to lack of ammunition, and England’s new armies were hardly yet ready. In such circumstances the arrival of the Division was most opportune, and behind them more troops were being hurried up from all directions. Cavalry, even the Life Guards, were compelled to do infantry work in the trenches, and it was thought that by sending our Brigade against the strong position of St. Julien (an almost impossible task) the Germans would be bluffed, and would remain on the defensive. This being the state of affairs, we were ordered shortly after lunch to attack St. Julien immediately, and to take it at all costs. We were off almost at once. We advanced at a great rate, in artillery formation, soon extending, however, into open order. If yesterday had been heavy, to-day was ten times worse. The German fire was terrific, and we had to face a hail of shells and bullets. The neighbourhood was infested with snipers, cleverly concealed, who made a point of picking off senior officers or despatching the wounded. It is a wonder that the whole battalion was not exterminated. The men, however, went forward with such spirit, and kept such magnificent discipline, that casualties, heavy as they were, were thus minimised. Now, perhaps, some of us for the first time realised the value of good discipline and good training.