Item 01: Clifford M. Geddes diary, 31 March-1 August 1918 - Page 92

[Page 92]

just on top of our heads, but hit the edge of the town in rear, am glad he didn't shorten his range by 150 yards. Very quiet all day, hot & sunny. One man on the post watched every 2 hours, & the rest slept most of the day. What a strange existence! There I was with my boots & equipment off, sleeping in the front line, blue sky overhead, bright sunshine, & skylarks singing in the air; & yet this cursed war goes on month after month, with good men dying daily in hundreds. Though it is so quiet here, we know any minute his guns could open & it would turn to Hell itself. He is uncannily quiet, but our guns were sending them over quietly all day, & at 5 pm. they sent over a fierce fire for 20 minutes on a wood to the right of us. We watched the bombardment, shells were raining down & throwing up the earth, & any Germans under it must have had a fearful time. There are all sorts of insects about the trenches, but the chats are not nearly as bad as I expected they'd be. I saw the wing of one of our 'planes falling from the air this morning, a chap told me the 'plane itself crashed to the ground just before; another airman would be reported "Killed in action" in the papers. When we were digging a connecting trench to the next post before daylight this morning, I was surprised to see Boo come along