June had seen an increase in our monthly total of casualties. Four officers, of whom one was the Padre (at duty), had been wounded; fourteen men had been killed and sixty-three wounded. In addition, 2nd-Lieutenants Dugdale and Rule were at the Base marked "T.B." (_i.e._, Temporary Base). Captain Gilling, who had for several months been attached to the R.E., had now been invalided to England. Our "effective strength" was reduced from 33 Officers and 744 other ranks to 28 officers and 656 other ranks; and from the latter numbers had to be deducted Lieutenant Parkinson and a number of men with the Brigade Pioneer Company, Lieutenant Huntley at Brigade, and several parties of men otherwise employed, but whom we were not permitted to strike off our effective strength. Our total strength in France on June 30th was 36 officers and 800 other ranks, a disparity in totals which is eloquent of the number of "employed" on extra-regimental duties or on courses. Leave had not yet begun seriously to affect our numbers. July 3rd found us back in the trenches in order "A," "D," "C" and "B" from the right. Relief was complete at 2.25 a.m. on July 12th. We found that the enemy was systematically destroying the left company sector, especially the communication trenches and the support line. The latter, standing as it did on the forward slope of a ridge, presented a splendid target, and it was impossible to keep pace with the damage being done. The constant bombardment of communication trenches threatened to isolate the left company altogether, and work was accordingly commenced on a new cut from Cambridge Avenue to the front line, called "Peter's Cat." The Heavy Artillery were also persuaded to do some serious shooting on the enemy main communication trenches, Celia Row and Celt Drive; but though this may have annoyed him, it did not damp his enthusiasm in the least. At 1.30 a.m. on July 11th the gas cylinders were opened and the projectors discharged simultaneously. The noise of the latter was tremendous, just like a mine explosion, while a huge black cloud of great density drifted away from the scene of discharge. Unfortunately, these projectors had been so long in the ground that a large number fell in No Man's Land; two fell almost on the top of a post in "A" Company's front line, while one landed practically on the top of "A" Company's Headquarters. In spite of precautions, a number of gas casualties occurred, and the usual kind of correspondence followed between ourselves and the Higher Command. Only a case of "trench foot" could exceed a gas casualty in the excitement it caused.