Page:Breaking the Hindenburg Line.djvu/84

68 who was able to point out the position of the demolition charges.

In the meantime, the Engineers of the 32nd Division, to whom had been handed over all the pontoons and normal bridging material of our own field companies, were building the pontoon bridges over which their own transport and artillery was to pass that evening and the following day.

During the reconnaissance of the Canal bank and the strengthening of the bridges some 250 of the enemy were discovered and surrendered to the various parties of the field companies, and were sent back under escort.

Another piece of useful work carried out during the afternoon and the following day was the clearing of the Bellenglise Tunnel. In this tunnel many charges were found and removed, and, by happy thought, the German personnel who had been in charge of the electric-light plant were searched for, discovered, and set to work. The mechanics then readily divulged the fact that the German dynamo was connected to a mine, so that the tunnel would be blown up when the engine was started. From this admission to the pointing-out of the mine was but a small step, and the mine was removed and the electric-light plant set working. This proved to be in perfect order, so that the remainder of the search within the tunnel, which incidentally brought to light a certain amount of valuable and interesting signalling and other stores, was carried out by the light of a German electric plant worked by German soldiers.

At 11.20 a.m., the barrage commenced to move forward from its protective position in front of the Red line, and the troops of the 138th and 139th Infantry Brigades, keeping close behind it, advanced towards the line of trenches which formed the main obstacle on the way to