THE DEFENCE OF AURAS
one would never have suspected from the way he
presented arms and clicked his heels that the city had
been half destroyed by bombs and that the Germans
were in its outskirts. An orderly told me that the
offices were in the cellars. I went down the vaulted
staircases, along the dusty flagged passages, through
the boiler-room and came at length to a vast chamber
where numerous officers were working in a quite
amazing silence. There was no suggestion of agita-
tion or anxiety. A Scottish major, C------, informed
me that the Headquarters* staff were going on to
Hazebrouck, that the Welsh Guards would stay and
defend Arras and that he himself would be looking
after liaison. My offer of services was accepted and
he took me along the Bapaume road to see his
barricades. The defences looked solid, the men calm
and resolute.
'On the following day I was able to get together
a few French detachments who had been cut off in
the south from the main battle and were passing
through the city. I got a grand response from some
motorized machine-gunners and a section of
Zouaves. I enrolled them. The Zouaves had light
tanks and two anti-tank guns. I went back to the
Palais Saint-Vaast to place my troops at the disposal
of the Guards. The cellars had a different look
about them by this time. The little tables were now
beds and the officers and their men stretched out on
them: the same calm reigned. A sergeant was
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