every description, wandering about in all directions, and with little hope of finding their way anywhere until the mist cleared. From time to time a slight clearing of the mist would enable men with their wits about them to sight some well-known landmark and to make progress in the right direction, so that gradually the whole mass worked away from the sound of the guns and so drifted back towards Le Verguier, Vadencourt and other posts, where they were sorted out by the Traffic Control, placed on their correct roads, and started off to their destinations. The stream continued, however, and until the fog cleared shortly after noon there was little relief in the situation behind the line. Much suffering must have been caused to the walking wounded through their inability to find the aid-posts prepared for their reception.
The effect of the fog on the Divisional communications was especially noticeable. A complete visual scheme, on which a great deal of energy had been expended, was rendered useless by the fog. Lines which were intact before the fog commenced were continually broken, more by traffic than by shell fire, and, once broken, it was a matter of hours sometimes before the far end of the line, which might have been dragged several hundred yards by transport, could be discovered. Still more difficulty was experienced in laying forward lines during the early stages of the battle. Enemy shelling caused frequent breaks in the lines as they were being laid, and the broken ends, hurled outwards by the force of the explosion, could only be collected and brought together with difficulty, by which time a “test” would betray the fact that a similar accident had occurred farther back, and the whole work was “to do” over again. The remaining resource of “Signals,” a system of despatch riders and orderlies, reinforced before the commencement of the action by a
