- party was not arrested—or shot to save their lives. One
officer, at least, had the liveliest memories of chaperoning for several hours a naval officer with a passion for professional souvenirs in the shape of large-calibre shell fragments. "I've never been at the wrong end of this size gun before," the mariner would say as the German heavies fell. "It's tremendously interesting! I must just make sure about that fuse, if you don't mind." The host, to whom 5.9's, and much larger, were no novelty (for the Canal bank dug-outs did not keep them out) had to feign an interest he did not feel till it dawned on the sailor that if he pursued his investigations too far he would be cut off by German patrols. The visitors all agreed that ships, under normal circumstances, were the Hotel Ritz compared to the daily trench-routine of the army. We vaingloriously fired several rounds from a 9.2 to please the Senior Service who, naturally, had seen such things before. The enemy replied with two days' full "retaliation" after the navy had left.
Yet, as things went in the Salient, it was, like their reserve camp, "not too uncomfortable." Though there was only one workable communication-trench (The Haymarket) to their line, and that a bad one, the main St. Jean road could be used after dark at reasonable risks. No work was possible by daylight, but, except for general and indiscriminate shelling, they lived quietly, even when, as happened on the first night (March 23), No. 1 Company and Headquarters were solemnly misguided down the Menin road in the dark over Hell Fire Corner to within a few hundred yards of Hooge and returned "without even being fired at." The regimental transport, too, managed to come up as far as Potijze with supplies, on three of the four nights of the Battalion's first tour, and had no casualties, "though the woods were regularly shelled." This was an extraordinary stroke of luck for the Battalion since other transports had suffered severely.
The outstanding wonder that any one in the Salient should be alive at all, is not referred to in the Diary.
