"We had a very safe and nice gun position on a peninsula in a marsh at Annieguin. This we made into a very smart and show position--lots of "spit and polish." We had many visitors from the 17th and a lot of their men used to come and bathe with ours. We fixed up a regular bathing pool with springboard complete. All this was under cover of trees and shrubs and quite out of sight of the Hun. I remember two of the H.L.I. being pulled from or being stabbed in, a sap in No Man's Land near the famous Brickstacks. We all wanted to have a Raid at once in revenge. I forget whether it came off. Shooting here was difficult, as the trenches were so close together, and very difficult to observe fire. Very different was the supply of ammunition in mid and late 1916 to early in the year. It was a horrible feeling for a Battery when asked to shoot and help the poor old Infantry, to have to refuse for lack of shells. At the Brickstacks we used to often fire--almost daily--from 150 to 350 rounds Agressive Action on Hun Tender Spots. It was then that we could retaliate about 50 to 1 if they were sufficiently "agressed" to fire back. That kept the line--our side (!)--quiet. "We all moved down in October, 1916, to the Ancre show, and a horrible wet march it was. We separated for a bit, the Battery going to the Scottish 51st Division. We were then rejoined by our own Infantry at Beaumont Hamel. I got smashed up and was evacuated home, and just after, my best Officer, Lieut. H.W. Ainley was burned to death at the Wagon Line. He was a splendid fellow and very well known to the 17th. "Officers and men of both Units were always together and better feeling between them could not exist. It was a great honour to know the 17th and we gloried in being the Battery to cover them at the P. of E. in a raid." [The P. of E. is the Point of Entry, necessitating very accurate gunlaying, timing, and strict adherence to the barrage programme.] [Illustration: "THE OUTPOST" STAFF ON ACTIVE SERVICE.] [Illustration: THE ORIGINAL EDITORIAL STAFF. Sgt. FERGUSON, the late Sgt. REITH and Pte. HUTCHESON. _To face page 81._] "THE OUTPOST."