Primary tabs
Transcription
[page 70]
137
12th INSTALMENT.
15th February, 1917: Looking across these peaceful snowfields one finds it hard to realise that but a few months ago they were the scene of some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting the war has seen. Here were villages, factories, woods, cemeteries, roads and railways; now all has been levelled and what traces there still are of former days have been covered by a couple of feet of glistening snow. The wet weather has caused most of the old trenches to fall in, and even where a particularly well made trench has withstood the weather it is now full of frozen water and being snowed over is unrecognisable as a trench.
As one gets closer to the present firing line, however, this peacefulness gradually merges into activity of a military nature. The French population had not been allowed back so that no attempt has been made to rebuild villages but in their place are camps, workshops, dumps, railways and the thousand and one things required behind an army in the field. Streams of vehicles of all classes occupy the numerous strategic roads day and night carrying amuntiion and supplies to the armies in the line. Baths have been erected where men fresh from the trenches can have a bath and obtain clean underclothes for their old ones. Soup kitchens are dotted along the roads to the front line where tired troops returning from the trenches may obtain a mug of soup anytime during the day or night free of charge. Everywhere is activity and everywhere are soldiers all bent on making this the last year of war.
A visit to the Australians old Battlefields at Pozieres was of interest even though not many of the old spots were recognisable. Occasionally a familiar object would be found