Headquarters, however, require some thought and preparation and, of even more importance under present circumstances, two-way roads for lorry transport. The enemy's thorough demolition of roads and bridges was. therefore, a serious obtacle to the advance of the Division. Divisional Headquarters as a whole could not move in advance of the main motor-traffic roads, so lines of communication forward of the Division increased in length and problems of supply became more and more acute. In a similar manner, the enemy's systematic destruction of the railways delayed the advance of railhead and made the supply of Division and Corps a much more complicated and difficult problem. The railway lines, as far back as St. Quentin and Le Cateau, were full of delay-action mines, cunningly hidden and, even if found, impossible of extrication without the chance of an explosion. Day after day, fresh mines went up, when all work forward of the new gap would be rendered useless. So railhead wavered backwards and forwards, and the lorry transport of the Armies was overtaxed and unable to cope with the situation. At this time, it became evident to the Higher Command that a pause would soon have to be called in the pursuit. Large numbers of liberated civilians had to be fed out of the British soldiers' ration and this, while the necessity was met ungrudgingly, still further complicated the food question.
On the 8th November, Divisional Headquarters moved to Prisches and, on the following day, a warning was received from the Corps that further forward movement would be impossible for several days.
The lengthening of the Divisional lines of communication threw heavy work on the Signal Company. At the commencement of the advance, a forward party consisting of three cable detachments and a complete Signal Office
