On the 9th the relief of the 20th by the 8th Division began, and by the 13th all units were in the reserve area, with Divisional Headquarters at Blarnighem Château. Here they stayed for a week carrying out training. Suddenly, on the 20th of January, the Division was ordered to move north to the Second Army, having been specially selected by Lord Cavan to form part of the new XIVth Corps. CHAPTER III THE YPRES SALIENT _22nd January to 26 July 1916_ The left sector of the XIVth Corps front--German attacks on the left of the line--Arrival of the Machine Gun Companies and Medium Trench Mortar Batteries--Major-General Davies succeeded by Major-General Douglas Smith--Attack on the 7th D.C.L.I.--The Division in reserve--Reorganisation of the artillery--The sector north of Hooge--Attack on the 7th Somerset L.I.--Attack on the Canadians at Hooge--Gas attacks and raids by the Division--Move south. (_Vide_ Map I.) Although the Division began its march north into the Ypres Salient on the 22nd of January 1916, it was more than a fortnight before any of the troops took over a part of the front line. Twelve days were spent in the area round Cassel. During this time, in order to learn the ground and the local conditions, parties of officers and N.C.O.’s were attached for two or three days at a time to the 14th Division, which was holding the left sector of the VIth Corps front, and which the 20th was under orders to relieve. On the 3rd of February the Division moved to the Reserve Area vacated by the 49th Division, with Headquarters at Château Esquelbecque--an interesting old house built in 1606 and occupied by General Grant with the 15th Hussars for two years after the battle of Waterloo. Next day the VIth Corps handed over to the newlyformed XIVth, which consisted at this time of the Guards, 6th and 20th Divisions. The new line, held by two brigades with one in reserve, was the left sector of the British front and ran on the north side of Ypres from a point 1500 yards due north of St Jean to the canal bank about 1000 yards south-east of Boesinghe. On the right was the 6th Division and on the left the French Thirty-sixth Corps. The difference between this sector and the area about Laventie immediately became apparent from the daily casualty lists. During the first month alone at Ypres the Division suffered 1000 casualties, equal to the whole number sustained during the five months at Laventie.