So ended a very interesting and exciting experience. I think we all felt it a great privilege to have been selected as part of the force sent to help our French comrades against a formidable offensive, and we found them so cordial and pleasant, and so easy to get on with, that we all carried away very agreeable memories of our connection with their 5th Army, in spite of the strenuous nature of the fighting and the many hardships and dangers which we had to face. The fighting was of quite a new and unaccustomed type. It was moving, as opposed to trench warfare, and batteries were continually changing position, and had no more protection than they could dig for themselves in the intervals of firing; they took to it as readily as if they had done nothing else all through the war, and, in spite of all the difficulties of ammunition supply and keeping up communications in the thickly wooded country, they were always ready to open fire up to time, and to support the infantry in their rapid advances. This could only be achieved, however, by the unremitting exertion of every officer, N.C.O., and man, who were fighting and toiling night and day without shelter of any sort, and with never more than a chance hour or two of sleep at a time, from the 20th to the 30th July. Although the infantry suffered very severely, our casualties were not heavy, owing to the indifferent counter-battery work of the enemy, and to the excellent habit, which had become a second nature in all the batteries, of digging themselves in directly a position was occupied. The total losses in the Divisional Artillery in the ten days' fighting were only five officers wounded, nine other ranks killed, and about 60 other ranks wounded. As some indication of the extent of artillery activity while with the 5th French army, I note here the number of rounds handled during the period by the D.A.C.: From railhead to reserve dump, 18-pr. How. by lorry 55,705 18,450 Delivered to the guns from the reserve dump by limbers 52,321 17,476 Eight Military Medals were awarded in connection with the operations, and also one Legion of Honour and nine Croix de Guerre (v. Appendix). The following special order of the day was issued on the 31st July by Maj.-General Braithwaite: "The operations which commenced on the 20th July were brought to a successful termination at midnight on the 30th July. "During the whole of this period the 62nd Division has had continuous fighting, manoeuvring, and marching in new and hitherto unknown country of a character entirely different from anything in which it has operated before during this campaign. Especially have the densely wooded slopes of the Bois de Reims been a difficulty for troops unaccustomed to wood fighting. "But neither the difficulty of the country, nor the determined and bitter resistance of the enemy, have militated against the victorious operations of the Division.