When reading messages sent by any "visual" method of signaling, such as flags, heliograph or lamp, it is necessary for the receiver to keep his eyes steadily fixed upon the sender, probably using binoculars or telescope, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, for him to write down each letter as it comes, and as this is absolutely required in military work, where nearly everything is in code or cipher, the services of a second man are needed to write down the letters as the first calls them off. As many letters of the alphabet have sounds more or less similar, such as "S" and "F," "M" and "N" and "D" and "T," many mistakes have occurred. Therefore, the ingenuity of the signaler was called upon to invent names for certain of the letters most commonly confused. Below is a list of the ones which are now officially recognized: A pronounced ack B " beer D " don M " emma P " pip S " esses T " tock V " vick Z " zed The last is, of course, the usual pronunciation of this letter in England and Canada, but, as it may be unfamiliar to some readers, I have included it. After a short time all soldiers get the habit of using these designations in ordinary conversation. For instance, one will say: "I am going over to 'esses-pip seven,'" meaning "Supporting Point No. 7," or, in stating the time for any event, "ack-emma" is A.M. and "pip-emma" P.M. As the first ten letters of the alphabet are also used to represent numerals in certain methods of signaling, some peculiar combinations occur, as, for instance: "N-ack-beer" meaning trench "N-12," or "O-don" for "O-4." "Ack-pip-emma" is the Assistant Provost Marshal, whom everybody hates, while just "pip-emma" is the Paymaster, who is always welcome. Thus, the Machine Gunner is an "Emma Gee" throughout the army. CONTENTS Chapter Page I Headed for the Kaiser 1 II Straight to the Front 12 III In the Midst of a Battle-Field 31 IV Eight Days In 47 V At Captain's Post 60 VI Our Own Cheerful Fashion 74 VII Sniper's Barn 83 VIII Getting the Flag 99 IX Hunting Huns 111 X A Fine Day for Murder 126 XI Without Hope of Reward 133 XII The War in the Air 143 XIII The Battle of St. Eloi 150 XIV Fourteen Days' Fighting 166 XV Blighty and Back 179 XVI Out in Front Fighting 187 XVII Down and Out--For a While 209 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Facing page Bouchard _Frontispiece_ French Hotchkiss Gun Firing at Aeroplane 11 Hotel Du Faucon 29