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[Page 45]
Fritzes credit, he did not fire on them. They must have been plainly in view. Now and again during the day he shelled us. However, the trench was a narrow one, and no one was hit. During the afternoon it rained, and I noticed, where some earth had fallen from the trench wall, a fine pair of "gum boots' sticking out. I got out my entrenching tool and tried to dig them out, meaning to wash and wear them. They were frozen hard, and, on removing the earth beside them, I tried to pull them out. To my horror I found that they covered a dead man's feet. Poor beggar was buried on the parapet. At dusk I found that the shell fire had uncovered lots more. However, in this cold weather it is not unsanitary.
We spent 3 days and nights this way. Towards the end we would gladly have welcomed a "Blighty" . On Christmas Day I received a parcel from Mr Lidgett from London. and very welcome it was. We were issued with about an ounce of plum pudding each. We did not even get an extra rum issue. So, when my delayed Xmas mail arrived, days later, and I read the same phrase – Merry Xmas – you cant wonder at me having a smile. It was rubbing it in right enough.
After another two days back at Head quarters, doing various fatigues, we came in again for another two days and nights. This time we were on No 2 post on the sunken road – an old road leading from Flers to Baupaume, I believe. It has however, been churned by shell fire into a absolute quagmire, feet deep in flowing mud. This road is known to the Germans, and they have the range exactly, which is not to be wondered at since they occupied it once themselves. Consequently we suffered some casualties. One day Company H.Q. was blown in with 3 beautiful shots from the heaviest armour piercing shells. It was a spacious ex-Hun dugout 20 feet beneath the surface. Capt Tyson escaped hatless & with