Dealing with the operations which led up to the skirmish (the Guard says), owing to the enemy being five or six times our superior in numbers, and attacking from all quarters fiercely, Sir Douglas Haig had to keep his men on the march almost night and day. We had a rough time of it. Our boys were as lively as crickets, but under fire as cool as you could wish. It was getting dark when we found out that the Kaiser’s crush were coming through a forest, and we soon found out their game. It was to cut off our force, who were retiring on to Le Cateau covered by our cavalry. We had not long to wait before they swarmed out of the forest and entered the small town from different directions. But we got them everywhere and stopped them, not a man getting through. About 200 of us drove them down a street, and didn’t the devils squeal when at close quarters. They fell in their scores, and we jumped over them to get at the others. At the corner of the street which led to the principal thoroughfare we came upon a mass of them. At this point we were reinforced from two directions. We were pressed for a time, but they soon lost heart, and we actually had to climb over their dead and wounded, which were heaped up, to get at the others. Then we had to race away to another point where they were hurling their masses at us. Those who did not get back to the forest were knocked over. It looked at one time as if they would get round us, but they got a surprise packet, for we cleared the town and drove them back. I don’t know how many we accounted for, but I saw quite 150 heaped together in one street. We had to continue our retreat, and had little rest until we got to Compiègne on September 1. Here the brigade had a shaking up. It was the Germans’ last desperate attempt to get through. What really happened I hardly know. Never before did the Guards fight as they did that day. We are having reinforcements, and we shall then have a chance of getting our own back, for when pressed they will not stand up to us.