Staff was made up and placed under the command of one of the subalterns of the company. He was given instructions to keep in close touch with the leading Brigade advancing along the main Divisional route, to find out from the Brigadier each evening his probable moves for the following day, and to anticipate these moves as far as possible. In this way, at least one cable pair was laid along the road hedges or poled over open spaces and kept well ahead of Brigade Headquarters, ready for use when a new headquarters was established for the night. This pair was reinforced as soon as possible by a second pair, and the lines made as secure as possible. A Corps cable detachment then followed up at its leisure, making the cables quite safe and improving the route. Whenever possible, old German permanent routes were used, stretches several miles long being sometimes round so little destroyed that it was possible to make them good. In this way, good speaking was obtained between Brigade and Division—far better indeed than between Division and Corps, where lines were even longer. Visual signalling was impossible in the close country through which we were advancing, but, by means of leapfrog tactics, continuous wireless communication was maintained. Wireless proved very useful also for the collection and dissemination of news of general interest.
The ether was overcharged with epoch-making items of news in these stirring days, and the crowds of English and French round the Wireless Press notices, where the English and French communiqués were displayed side by side, were quite one of the features of the street-scenes in Prisches, Cartignies, and later in Sains du Nord.
The bridging of the Petite Helpe having been completed sufficiently to allow horsed transport to pass, the pursuit was once more pressed with vigour. The 138th Brigade
