A large sheet of water which had formed about some shell-holes outside the trenches of the Rifle Brigade in the winter afforded both sides a great deal of amusement. One night a patrol found a rough wooden model of a German submarine floating in the pond, flying a paper flag on which were inscribed the words: “Deutschland, Deutschland über alles!” The submarine was “captured,” and for the next few days several handy fellows in the battalion of the R.B.’s holding the front line spent all their spare time in constructing a model battleship. This was subsequently launched at night flying a pennant with the words: “Why don’t you come out and fight?” A night or two after our patrols found that the pennant had been removed from the battleship, and replaced by a flag bearing the words: “Germania rules the waves!” In the meantime the battle of Heligoland was fought. The model was accordingly rescued from the pond, suitably disfigured to represent a sinking ship, “BLUECHER” painted in large letters on its side, and the flag replaced by one bearing these words: “Has your Government told you about this ship?” The blow told: the model disappeared, and the jest ended. The exchange of news is very popular. I was in the front line one afternoon when a message arrived from the division announcing the surrender of German South-West Africa, and adding: “Perhaps the enemy might like to know this.” The suggestion was immediately acted upon. The news was translated into German, “Gott strafe England!” was added to give it a proper German ring, and when I went down the men were painting the message in white on a large blackboard, which was going to be hoisted on the parapet facing the German trench. The Germans attacked this part of the line the next day, whether as the result of our message I am unable to say. The high comradeship of our trenches is enhanced by many little touches redolent of home. The British soldier is a homing-bird, and he loves to perpetuate the memory of places that are dear to him in his surroundings in the trenches. The troops in the Ploegsteert lines--“Plug Street” of wide renown--who inaugurated the custom of giving street names to trenches with their “Strand” and “Fleet Street” and “Hyde Park Corner,” in reality hit upon a very practical solution of the great difficulty of providing suitable identification for the network of trenches which was growing up all along our lines. Now the custom is general, and the neatly inscribed sign-boards which meet your eyes in so many parts of the line evoke recollections of busy streets and squares in London and provincial towns, and of gallant commanders, some of whom have “gone west,” whose names are perpetuated in countless “houses” and “corners” and “farms” along our line.