By 26 April this included the entire 'apex', that recently-formed exposed, roughly triangular, section of the British front having the line St Julien - Gravenstafel as its 'base', following the repeated German assaults on the British 85th and 11th Brigades. These attacks were accompanied by intense German artillery bombardments - made more effective by the fact that enemy guns were now situated on three sides of the contracted Salient. The domination of German artillery was a dismal fact of life for British forces during the Second Battle of Ypres and impinged not only on front-line soldiers but all the support services - medical and logistic - that had to pass through the congested target zone of Ypres itself on their way to succour wounded or deliver ammunition, food and water.

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