That would have been good news in itself, but even
better was the news published on Thursday morning. The British official communication, dated Wednesday night, stated that the First Army was continuing to make good progress east of Festubert. A Territorial division had carried a group of German trenches, capturing prisoners and machine guns. Since May 16th, the Field-Marshal informs us, the First Army has pierced the enemy's lines on a front of three miles, and captured their front-line system of trenches, and in some eases the second-line trenches also. The total number of prisoners taken was, roughly, eight hundred, with ten machine guns and a considerable quantity of other material and equip- ment. The French news is also distinctly good, very con- siderable advances having been made by them in the region of Ablain St. Nazaire. No doubt the line sways backwards and forwards a good deal, but if we consider the month of May as a whole the sway has been very distinctly in favour of the Allies. Further, if to the test of ground gained we add the teat of losses, especially in the matter of taking prisoners, the superiority of the Allies is strongly emphasized.
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