Organisations > Roll of honour of Caxton House Printing Office, Dundee

James S. Dall
bivouacs, and crept into the humble shelters to seek an
hour's repose. Alas, even here they were pursued by
the German Fokker aeroplanes, which took their toll of
the exhausted men.
After five days' "rest" in this exposed position,
with fatigue duty every night for the benefit of the
men in the line, these heroes are again at the front for
an attack on the enemy. The proud German " Cock-
chafer" regiment is before them now, so there must be
no flinching. Air raids are being made by the enemy in
the daytime, and air raids in the darkness of the night.
"You think you are finished with them," says James,
"and on again come the aeroplanes, squadron after
squadron." Shells burst without cessation, and every
missile does its deadly work. The enemy's guns require
not to be aimed at any target, for we have the
country behind us actually covered with our reserves
in readiness for our coming great attack.
On the 9th August, in the grey dawn, our men again
went over the parapet, floundered through the water
and mud of the Brauenbeck, and finally crossed the
Pilkelm Ridge. Hastily James and his comrades strove
to dig for themselves some shelter in the muddy earth.
They laid their lines and listened at their telephones ;
they passed the hours of night amid a rain of bursting
shells.
This advance, James tells us, was proving too
expensive in human life, and a halt was called. For
three weeks he and his fellows did light duty out of
the range of the guns. They were then sent off on
a fortnight's march to Cambrai, where a battle was
anticipated. The battle of Cambrai had commenced
before the Guards arrived upon the scene, therefore
they marched the last four days of their journey both
day and night, with short intervals for sleep and for
repasts of iron rations. On the Bapaume-Cambrai road
our lads were overtaken by fresh men for the front — in
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