from necessity of the old Peninsula days. After a week of precarious existence, coupled with hard digging, the line had been consolidated sufficiently to allow of our return to a quieter part for general re-organising.

We learnt later that the medical preparations had been unable to cope with the fearful list of casualties, and, excepting the most vital cases, the wounded men dressed on the field were not attended to for seven or eight days; the time which elapsed before they reached the Egyptian Base Hospitals.

The 4th ALH Brigade's baptism, as a Brigade, was truly Spartan on that fiercely eventful day of April 19th, 1917.

Sgt DW Harris, 666 12th ALH