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Grant, Reginald

"S.O.S. Stand to!"

The
shop-keepers were quite willing to sell any soldier, however, and we
were more than anxious to get his bread if we could safely do so. The
manner in which we disobeyed orders was as follows: The bake-shop was
about half-a-mile from our billet and we had to pass several policemen
on the way down; two fellows would stand outside the building while I
went inside and purchased the bread, and if policemen were seen coming,
the man nearest to the officer would give the signal and I would duck
off into an alley-way and up the back streets into the billet, and it
would not be long before my outpost would join me; then the jam would be
produced and in short order the delicious French bread and jam would be
winding its way down into our voracious stomachs.
We left this point for Camblain-le-Abbeau for another nip at the ridge
from that angle, pulled into the wagon lines for two days and then got
into action on the Lens-Arras road. We laid the guns on the side of the
road, camouflaging them in the usual fashion. We were the first
battalion to arrive, but within four days 100 or more batteries were
there.


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