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[Page 11]
three of us. "All right? On! double and keep in touch!"
SCHOCK!
Half an hour later we were digging on the rise and at regular intervals "whiz-bangs" whistled low over our heads and fell just behind in the marshy piece of ground called Ypres plain. After digging down about three feet and unearthing a decayed Fritz (as could be seen by the clothing) I considered that a smoke might lessen the smell and awful sick feeling, so I said to my mate "Give us a cig." For answer he shouted "Look out" An ominous rushing whistling sound at our backs, a flash, a hot, blinding rush of air in my face and I was thrown by the concussion, several yards along the trench where I lay on my back, speechless. Presently I sat up "W...What are you g..grimy at?" said I And he replied "At you you look so comical" "I feel comical too" said I. If that had been a few inches left, I suppose I would have been left too. Got a match? My mate pointed to where it had exploded, near where my feet had been That one was the first but it was sufficient for I always ducked as soon as I heard them coming afterwards, the same as everyone else, not waiting for their arrival.
Whines. Wine of Battle. War's Horrors,
It was the morning just after the "hop over" at Menin Road, where the Aussies captured that long contested patch of sticks, called Polygon Wood. The infantry had just captured Fritz's front line and were moving on in waves towards their second objective, when the Engineers party to which I was temporarily attached reached this point. We were just behind the attacking troops.