Concealment from view was daily becoming more and more impossible. The enemy's balloons were so numerous, and were poised at so great an altitude, that very few depressions on the ground were deep enough to conceal emplacements from one or another of them. But, in addition to this, as the science of sound ranging was brought to greater and greater perfection, concealment became less and less useful, and overhead protection became the most important consideration. We now adopted a practice which was henceforth followed when possible throughout the war. Each battery had a main position, the guns of which remained silent except in combined "strafes," when every gun in the line was firing; when this happened the gun flashes were so numerous and continuous along the whole front that it was almost impossible for observers in the hostile balloons to take accurate bearings to any one battery, and sound ranging also was impracticable. For the ordinary routine shooting each battery kept an advanced section; this could be moved with comparative ease if the Boche artillery should make the position too hot, and in any case it is more difficult to spot two guns than six, and harder to hit them when found. On the 21st August B/310 and C/312 were bombarded for several hours by 5.9 and 8-inch howitzers; although a tremendous weight of metal was poured into the positions, no material damage was done, and only two men were wounded. On the 23rd and 24th the 35th Brigade was withdrawn from my command, and a readjustment of batteries had to be made. The 310th continued to cover the right, or Noreuil, sector, and the left, or Bullecourt, sector fell to the 312th. A/312 consequently moved from Lagnicourt to the Ecoust Valley; to our great delight the Boche threw about 400 rounds into the empty position the day after the battery had cleared out of it. [Sidenote: Sept. 1917.] On the 4th and 6th September the Noreuil valley was again heavily shelled; on the first of these dates A/310 had two guns knocked out, but suffered no loss to personnel; on the 6th the fire was directed on B/310 and C/310; one man was killed and one wounded, but no damage whatever was done to material. Capt. J. G. Robinson was awarded the Military Cross in connection with the above: "On the 4th September, near Vaulx, the battery position was very heavily shelled. Capt. Robinson, having got his men into safety, endeavoured to locate the hostile battery by compass bearing. Later on, noticing that the camouflage of the two gun pits had caught fire, he, with Sergt. Rider and Gunner Charlesworth, left cover, and proceeded to extinguish the fires and to recover the gun pits with camouflage. As the shelling continued and the dial sights had not been removed from the guns, he again went out and removed four of them. All this was done under very heavy fire and at great personal risk. He showed very great gallantry and coolness, and set a fine example to the rest of the battery."