Lewis war diary, August 1917-March 1919 / James Ray Lewis - Page 95
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[Page 95]
At the same time there was a sound like a huge river pouring down, in a fall on all the length of front, and the usual lightning like flashes that one sees along the front, blended into one great continous lightning flash that flickered and ran up and down the front. Bye and bye it died down, it was dawn, were we successful, that was the thought, that ran around on everyones lips. And by 8 oclock the news came all objectives gained.
Men returning from the stunt, say that the barrage was grand, like a wall of flame along the front.
That evening we moved up to the dugouts on the road across the railway, and occupied them for the night. While we were here some prisoners came down the road there were some youths amongst them, also some middle aged men. I went across to Villers Brettonneux and had a glance at it. It has been much better built than usually are such french villages, but is badly damaged there was a tall building there like a great tall gate with a toppice across like this.[diagram] Near the edge of the town were some dead on stretchers, near the cemetry in which were buried our men, and a little apart some Fritzs. Brettoneux was an important railway junction. The railway runs through