226 Sportsmen Parsons in Peace and War 



each battalion every night for work. The amount of sheer 

 earth shifted was colossal. We left the trenches with a parapet 

 in front varying from eight to thirty feet thick in front, the 

 close supports and subsidiary lines all built up and revetted, 

 five strong localities in front line almost crump-proof, the 

 communication trenches narrowed, curled, and revetted, and 

 generally the whole place in a strong defensible state. The 

 Corps Commander gave his opinion that the 17th Division had 

 done fine work, and especially the 51st Brigade, but the best 

 comment came from the C.R.A. 



" I met him one day at the 4.5 howitzer battery, and was 

 telling him of a beastly village over against us in the enemy 

 lines which looked right down into us and worried us day and 

 night with machine-guns, snipers, fixed searchlights, and in 

 which the Boches could move about at will to annoy us. He 

 could not be convinced that it was necessary to strafe it down, 

 so I asked him if he would come along our front line and I would 

 convince him. At first I thought he would put me under 

 arrest for cheek, but eventually he consented. It was the 

 funniest thing to see him. I would take him along a few yards 

 under cover of the front-line trench and then step him back 

 about two yards from it and tell him to look round and then he 

 was looking bang up at this village. ' Oh, Lord ! ' he would 

 say, and duck under like smoke. This happened all along the 

 line, and he was very much convinced, and when we got back he 

 promised he would do his best to get all the heavies turned on 

 and level it. They had levelled every brick that was anywhere 

 near our lines, and so I pointed out this unfair advantage. 



" On our return he remarked on the amount of work done, and 

 asked how long it had taken and how many pioneer battalions 

 we had to help. When I told him none he would not believe 

 it, and when finally convinced said, ' Well, all I can say is it's 

 colossal.' 



" My wound is all right again, though I felt the shock from 

 it a bit. You should not blame me for not having come home 

 for a week or two, but about that time the work was very heavy 

 and some of the youngsters lately out from home were doing 

 nothing but wish for Blighty. By good fortune I got a chance 

 of correcting them, and naturally took it, and my lecture has 

 been successful. I have heard less of Blighty since. 



