General Bannatine-Allason kindly wrote for me the first chapter, and spared himself no pains in assisting to procure for me information concerning the early days of the Division in France. Had it not been for him and Colonel Ian Stewart, information would have been so scanty that it is doubtful if the earlier chapters could have been written. To Captain A. Scott, D.S.O., M.C., 7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, late staff-captain 154th Infantry Brigade, I am particularly indebted. Captain Scott has kindly relieved me of the labour of reading through the proofs and of completing the final arrangements for the publication of this book, a labour which residence in the Near East would have made it difficult for me to perform. Lastly, I am indebted to Mr James Blackwood, in no small degree, for taking upon himself, while I have been abroad, much of the burden of the preparation of this book for the Press, which would normally have fallen upon the author. F. W. B. HEADQUARTERS, 3RD (LAHORE) DIVISION, BIR SALEM, PALESTINE. CONTENTS. CHAP. PAGE I. MOBILISATION 1 II. ARRIVAL IN FRANCE--FESTUBERT 10 III. THE PERIOD OF APPRENTICESHIP 28 IV. TRAINING AND REORGANISATION--THE LABYRINTH. 51 V. THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME--HIGH WOOD 73 VI. ARMENTIÈRES AND HEBUTERNE 87 VII. THE BATTLE OF THE ANCRE--BEAUMONT HAMEL 100 VIII. COURCELETTE 127 IX. THE BATTLE OF ARRAS 138 X. THE BATTLE OF ARRAS (_Contd._)--ROEUX AND THE CHEMICAL WORKS 160 XI. THE THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES 192 XII. POELCAPPELLE 216 XIII. THE BATTLE of CAMBRAI 233 XIV. THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE 263 XV. THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE (_Contd._)--THE BATTLE OF THE LYS 296 XVI. WITH THE FRENCH IN CHAMPAGNE 321 XVII. THE CAPTURE OF GREENLAND HILL 356 XVIII. THE OPERATIONS TOWARDS VALENCIENNES 372 XIX. CONCLUSION 408 ILLUSTRATIONS. PORTRAITS. LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR G. M. HARPER, K.C.B., D.S.O _Frontispiece_