Orward two platoons across the bridge into the drain. Unfortunately one
of our patrols disobeyed its orders that night and patrolled a forbidden
stretch of road. The officer shot two of these men in the dark. Three
days later the outpost company on Vesle bridge of the Aisne was
surrounded, and, later still, Conde bridge passed out of our artillery
control, and was finally crossed by the Germans. I have written of this
famous scare of Conde bridge in detail, not because it was
characteristic, but because it was exceptional. It is the only scare we
ever had in our Division, and amongst those who were on the Aisne, and
are still with the Division, it has become a phrase for
encouragement--"Only another Conde." During the first days on this
monotonous river, the days when we attacked, the staff of our right
brigade advanced for a time into open country and took cover behind the
right haystack of three. To this brigade Huggie took a message early one
morning, and continued to take messages throughout the day because--this
was his excuse--he knew the road. It was not until several months later
that I gathered by chance what had happened on that day, for Huggie,
quite the best despatch rider in our Division, would always thwart
