At last the time came for the final moving up of both the fighting and supply Tanks to their assembly positions, about two miles behind the lines. No. 1 Gun Carrier Company of Tanks had been allotted to the 5th Australian Division, and lay up in an orchard north of Villers-Bretonneux. All went well till the late afternoon of August 7, when a chance shot from the enemy set one of these Tanks blazing. The enemy promptly began to shell the area heavily, and destroyed nearly the whole Company of Tanks and their loads. It was on this occasion that Second Lieutenant Henderson Smith was awarded the Military Cross. The following account of his action appears in the list of “Honours and Awards”:-- “As soon as the first Tank was hit, Second Lieutenant Smith rushed to the scene and collected men to aid him, and so initiated the work of rescuing the Tanks. He showed the utmost skill in organising the withdrawal of Tanks from the blaze. “Although several of his helpers were men from other units and inexperienced in Tank work, this gallant officer succeeded in moving two Tanks away from the heart of the fire. This bold action undoubtedly enabled the people on his right to save three Tanks. Unfortunately these two Tanks were hit and set on fire by the explosions on other Tanks. On each occasion Second Lieutenant Smith was the last to leave the blazing machine. The Tanks were loaded with explosives for the infantry, gun-cotton, bombs, trench mortars, etc., besides two fills of petrol each.” The shelling was an uncomfortable incident, not only because of the loss at the last moment of the machines and of the masses of stores which they carried, but because such a bombardment might be an indication that the enemy suspected the presence of Tanks. However, as at Cambrai, there was nothing to be done, and it remained only to try to hurry forward more stores to replace those which had been burnt. This was successfully accomplished. Final lying-up places for the 300 heavy Tanks had been arranged all along the front at about 4000 yards from the front line. At about the time when the Tanks were moving up to these “jumping-off places” the enemy may have been somewhat puzzled to observe that a number of large aeroplanes with exceedingly noisy engines kept flying about between the lines. In any case, what he did not observe was the noise made by 300 advancing Tanks. IV The night of the 7th-8th was damp and still, and at about four o’clock on the 8th a dense ground mist had begun to drift up the river valley. Soon the whole air was one silent white sea of vapour. So thick was it that the assaulting infantry and Tanks had immediately to prepare to move entirely by compass, for it was impossible to see a yard ahead through the dense silent blanket.