Personal affection and political devotion had in these two years made him appear indispensable to the party, although nobody ever regarded him as in the front line of English statesmen so far as originality of ideas or brilliance of debating power were concerned.
The work of removing stores, war material, animals and personnel was to be carried out on successive nights, the fighting force ashore was to be gradually reduced, the front line of trenches was to be held up till the very last - the final night being fixed provisionally for the 8th-9th - and the detachments vacating it were to hurry straight off to the beaches.
A series of partial assaults by the various front-line divisions having had little result it became evident that a deliberate attack would be necessary to overcome this obstacle.
Facing them the German Seventeenth Army held the Hindenburg system with seven divisions in front line.
Many of the little alpines may be brought into the front line planted between suitable pieces of stone, or they may be relegated to a particular spot, and placed on an artificial rockery.