Cocks letter diary, 1916-1919 / Verner Cocks - Page 289
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[Page 289]
post about a mile away along what was once a railway line. Track was terrible - heavily shelled - 6" deep in mud and thigh deep in many places - later on after the mules had been over it, it became practically impassable - mules got bogged & had to be shot & when we got bogged with a stretcher on our shoulders we had to be pulled out by passing infantry - it was impossible to pull oneself out let alone loaded with a stretcher. Soon got wet through - it was drizzling nearly all the time - & lack of rations made it pretty miserable. Started out with overcoats but they got wet through & weightie with mud so we dumped them & depended on exercise to keep us warm. That went on all day - we lived on wet bread bread & anything we could pick up along the track - sometimes a tin of bully beef or pork & beans. Darkness brought relief. It was impossible to do any carrying in the dark so we lay down in the mud & got cold & wet. Case came & we had to get up & help. They had a Lt Col on board - three of us made 8 on the stretcher & we got him through. I will never forget that carry - slipping sliding & sucking in the mud & darkness - neither will the "bloke" on the stretcher - while he was there - he came off in the mud once or twice. However we got him through (13 stone) - got a drink of coffee & rum - (it was worth the carry) & spent the night there. I sat up all night on a tram rail & shivered till dawn. Next day was the same - struggled through it somehow - wounded came in in an endless stream & died from exposure - there is absolutely no shelter in this country & they lay in the rain until we could shift them & it was four miles hand carry before they reached an ambulance. I could have dropped from exhaustion many times but a drop of rum once or twice & the nature of the work itself bucked us up. Night came again & we couldn't do any more - 60 hours without sleep & half that time stretcher bearing & scraps to eat - wet through & cold all the time wasn't too bad - carried the last case three miles reported & was sent back to HQs had a hot feed - dry clothing & a good sleep besides another rum & next day were fully fair. However Jack & I were not allowed to go up any more on account of our burns. We were lucky in a way though our boys had a rough time afterwards.
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