WITH MY REGIMENT WITH MY REGIMENT FROM THE AISNE TO LA BASSÉE BY "PLATOON COMMANDER" LONDON WILLIAM HEINEMANN _London: William Heinemann, 1915_ TO "PAT" _Who was killed in front of La Bassée on October 21, 1914, this book is affectionately dedicated by the author_ ACKNOWLEDGMENT _The author desires to thank the Editors of_ The English Review, The Evening Standard, _and_ The Westminster Gazette _for kind permission to reproduce in this volume, articles which appeared in their various columns_. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 I. TAKING OUT A DRAFT 8 II. RAILHEAD AND BEYOND 25 III. EARLY DAYS ON THE AISNE 40 IV. IN BILLETS 58 V. THE MOVE UP (1) 71 VI. THE MOVE UP (2) 83 VII. NEARING THE FIRING-LINE 93 VIII. GETTING INTO ACTION 101 IX. AN ATTACK AT DAWN 111 X. THE RESERVE COMPANY 120 XI. A NIGHT ATTACK 129 XII. THE FARM IN THE FIRING-LINE 138 XIII. PUSHING FORWARD 146 XIV. IN FRONT OF LA BASSÉE 156 XV. A NIGHT PATROL 166 XVI. WITH THE SUPPORTS 176 XVII. BETWEEN ACTIONS 187 XVIII. "THE ----TH BRIGADE WILL ATTACK ----" 197 XIX. BY THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH 206 XX. "AND THENCE TO BED" 220 INTRODUCTION "Report yourself to O.C. 1st Battalion at ---- immediately.--GROUP." So the time had come. Of course I guessed what was going to be in the wire before I opened it, but somehow the pink telegraph envelope, and that little word Group at the end of the message, shook me out of an exciting day-dream into reality. For years we had been brought up on the word "GROUP," which was to come at the end of the order for mobilization. Now it was being flashed over wires all over the country. Our training was to bear fruit. The happy, careless--some people say, rather useless--life of the army officer in peace time was over. The country had gone to war.