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[Page 44]
Firing Line France
16/4/16
Stand to arms 3.45 white frost pitch dark. Went right round and inspected all posts, everyone correct. The enemy's trenches becoming visible we carried on at 4.20 am and reduced the posts today strength. Turned in again and slept till 7 after writing reports. After breakfast went round again and had good look at the opposing trenches.
Sunny morning some sticks or planks being moved in German trenches so put the French mortars on to it at 300 yards range. The first shot went 400 yards to the right as did the second and third but the next went to the left. One landed right in there firing line and sent debris high into the air.
At 1000 we were treated to an aerial demonstration the Germans bombarding two of our planes simultaneously. One flew very low and tore across at a tremendous pace. One shell burst right under it and it seemed to commence to descend but righted itself and carried on. There planes fly very high.
Am connected by phone with a battery some mile or so back and they have to fire a shell at my order any hour of the day – the shell to reach here within 30 secs of my issuing order. Tested at 1000 and shell arrived skimming low overhead and bursting on enemy line.
Along the rear of the trench are crosses and graves with such inscriptions in indelible pencil "Two unknown British soldiers" or "One of the Worcestors", some of the graves have been scoped out all round and it would not take much rain to wash the bodies out. From Jays Post post right to Wye Farm are scattered graves in among the green grass and at the Farm is a well cared for cemetery with rows of neat white crosses.
Sent two of the batmen up the town to buy stuff for the mess. There are 8 in the mess in my dugout and we run two sittings to avoid risk of all being blown out by the one shell. Today is Sunday. General Legge through at noon and Brigadier then came along from the other direction.
Reading in dugout for most of the afternoon and it was so quiet that one wouldn't have known a war was on. Later on the enemy started shelling towards our rear and succeeded in setting a house on fire in the direction of Elbow Farm, probably my 11 & 12 platoons billet.
We have been treated to some fine aerial displays today, 6 were up at one time. Our planes very daring and fly low and hundreds of shells were put all round them, fragments fell round our ears here. Taubes were over later but fly very high. Our observation balloons up – the Germans also had one up. Floating down from a plane we saw a big white object – perhaps it was from a shell and some ranging device.
Visited Jays Post at stand to and found all correct, then did the firing line here. Our machine guns at Wye Farm opened up after dark one fired too low and dangerously grazed our parapets. Firing briskened up around after stand to arms.
Rations and stores come up on trucks after dark when enemy cannot see the tramlines. Rats run about all over this place and also swim across the stagnant pools of water.
They send a little mail up nightly – papers and so on. The firing line here is much more comfortable than some of the billets round and certainly safer since enemy has been shelling all houses. At 10 pm heavy fire commenced on our right and continued 10 minutes. The air full of flares. Germans working out in front of us so sent up a parachute flare and turned machine gun on them.