Item 02: Leslie Kemnitz Stuart diary, 4 March-28 December 1916 - Page 170
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[Page 170]
Raid 7th Bgde
[Tuesday 6 June]
A wet miserable day. Very quiet all day.
In the evening we had our regular stand to from 8 till 9 at 9.20 we got the order to stand to all night at 11.30 our artillery of all callibres [calibres] started a very heavy bombardment of the German lines. The din was terrific, it set all our nerves trembling, soon the German artillery replied the air seemed full of bursting shells flying shrapnel & ear splitting reports. Our little spot received particular attention 5 direct hits within feet of us & as for shrapnel it was continuous. It lasted for about an hour & a half. During the bombardment they kept up a trickle of rifle fire at our parapet but they seemed very badly shaken & fired very wide. There bombardment did little harm as we were all under cover & expecting it while they had their parapet lined not knowing what to expect. Immediately the bombardment ceased the 7th Brigade raided the German trenches inflicting heavy losses with insignificant loss to themselves, they also brought 4 prisoners. They got the glory & we got the shells but we all have to work together.