During the early stages of the retreat the Battalion was sent to fresh fields of conquest among the crops, which the German withdrawal had done nothing to ripen but had at least removed from shell range. Plans were afoot to harvest a large area adjacent to the forest and present its fruits to the rightful owners. If harvesting weather should be hot, conditions were ideal. This novel form of working-party at first delighted the men, who set about the crops in goodly earnest. In a short space of time wheat, oats, and barley were added to our battle-honours. But if the spirit was willing, our reaping implements were correspondingly weak. The Corps 'Agricultural Officer' had collected from surrounding farms a fantastic assortment of cast-off scythes, jagged hooks, and rusty sickles, which fell to pieces 'in the 'ands' and refused to do more than beat down the crops to which they were opposed. The scythes seemed hardly able to stick their points, in the approved manner, into the ground, sickles were back-to-front or left-handed, and the entire panoply issued to this Reaping Battalion should have been seconded for duty at a music-hall or gazetted out of agricultural service as old iron. The Major-General, visiting the scene of our labours, was scandalised to find that fewer acres of corn had been put out of action than reports from other parts of the harvest front inclined him to expect. A 'stinker' followed, to which we could only retaliate by posting sentries the next day to warn us of the General's approach. Of course he came by a fresh road. And now, to avoid the inevitable anti-climax, I will ring down the curtain as the General steps from his car, demoralised reapers bestir themselves into some semblance of activity, and the commander of the party simply is not. CHAPTER XVII. LAST BATTLES, AUGUST TO DECEMBER, 1918. German retreat from the Lys.--Orderly Room and its staff.--The new devastated area.--Itchin Farm, Merville and Neuf Berquin.--Mines and booby-traps.--Advance to the Lys.--Estaires destroyed.-- Laventie revisited.--The attack on Junction Post.--Lance-Corporal Wilcox, V.C.--Scavenging at the XI Corps school.--On the Aubers ridge.--The end in sight.--Move to Cambrai.--In action near Bermerain and Maresches.--A fine success.--Domart and Demobilisation.--Work at Etaples.--Off to Egypt.