[89]“Fresnoy was the line of the first objective, but in going forward, the infantry came under heavy machine-gun fire from the Quadrilateral on their right flank. Both officers, unseen by one another in the mist and smoke, headed their Tanks straight for the thickest of the fire. Second Lieutenant G. F. Smallwood arrived first and encountered terrific resistance, with which he was successfully dealing when his Tank became ditched while crossing a sunken road, all guns but one being covered. It was impossible to use the unditching beam owing to the intense fire from short range. At this moment Second Lieutenant W. R. Hedges, driving his own Tank, as the driver had been killed and the second driver badly wounded, appeared from the mist heading for the Quadrilateral with all guns firing. Captain Hamlet, the Section Commander, was also inside this Tank. Just as Second Lieutenant Hedges was appearing to get the upper hand of the enemy his Tank burst into flames. Desperate efforts were apparently made to put these out, but after five minutes Captain Hamlet and the crew jumped out of the Tank on the right-hand side straight into the arms of the Huns, who had surrounded the Tank. Second Lieutenant Hedges, however, sprang out from the other side and darted through them though subject to a heavy fire. Though hit two or three times he reached the shelter of the sunken road about fifty yards from Second Lieutenant Smallwood’s Tank. The latter left the Tank and brought Second Lieutenant Hedges back with him. Heavy shelling all round the Tank compelled its evacuation, and Second Lieutenant Smallwood and crew took up a position with their machine-guns and successfully held off the enemy. Later on, the infantry, who had been held up some 200 yards behind, were able to come up and take over the post. Meanwhile Second Lieutenant Hedges had been sent to a Dressing Station, but he never arrived there. This very gallant officer’s fate is still unknown.” On the 9th Corps front progress was slow, but by the end of the day we held Ronssoy and Hargicourt. A good idea is given of the minor mechanical difficulties of this part of the campaign in the 2nd Battalion History: “Liaison, reconnaissance and Tank maintenance were rendered far more difficult than usual owing to the lack of transport, which was in such a state that no car, box-body, lorry or motor-cycle could be relied upon. The nearest M.T. Park for repairs was twenty-five miles away. Long treks by night meant work on Tanks by day. Reconnaissance and liaison had often to be carried out on foot with consequent loss of time. There was very little rest or sleep for any one between September 13 and 18.”