With this event, all the initial movements in the Imperial concentration had been completed. They had comprised the transportation of the equivalent of 5 divisions from India to Europe and their replacement by 3 divisions of Territorials from England; the collection of the 7th and 8th divisions from all the garrisons and fortresses of the British Empire with consequential replacements from home and from India; the transportation of approximately two divisions from Canada to England; and lastly—though this was not finished till December—that of approximately two divisions from Australia and New Zealand to Egypt. The effect of this concentration was to add a reinforcement of 5 British regular divisions (7th, 8th, 27th, 28th and 29th) and 2 Anglo-Indian divisions to the regular forces immediately available to support the 6 regular divisions with which we had begun the war, raising our Army in France by the end of November to approximately 13 divisions of highly trained long-service troops. In addition the 4 Canadian and Australian divisions were completing their training in England and Egypt, and were held to be in a more advanced state of preparation than the 10 divisions of Territorials which remained in England or the 24 divisions of the New Armies which Lord Kitchener was raising. The whole business of transportation by sea while all the enemy’s cruisers were still at large had been conducted without accident of any kind or without the loss of a single ship or a single life. CHAPTER XIV IN THE NARROW SEAS ‘This battle fares like to the morning’s war, When dying clouds contend with growing light, What time the shepherd, blowing of his nails, Can neither call it, perfect day nor night. Now sways it this way, like a mighty sea, Forced by the tide to combat with the wind; Now sways it that way, like the selfsame sea, Forced to retire by fury of the wind: Some time the flood prevails, and then the wind; Now one the better, then another best; Both tugging to be victors, breast to breast, Yet neither conquerors nor conquered: So is the equal poise of the fell war.’ HENRY VI. PART III. Action of August 28 in the Heligoland Bight—Fate of the German Light Cruisers—Paralysis of German Naval Enterprise—The Ostend Demonstration—The Royal Naval Air Service—The Air Situation at the Outbreak of War—The Admiralty take Charge at Home—The Zeppelin Menace and the ‘Hornets’—Offence the true Defence—Beginning of the Dunkirk Guerrilla—Samson’s Aeroplanes—The Armoured Cars—First dawn of the Tank idea—General Joffre’s request—The Omnibus Brigade—An Embarrassing Responsibility—The Sinking of the _Aboukir_, _Hogue_ and _Cressy_.