Item 02: Leslie William Sutherland diary, 1 January-13 December 1916 - Page 111

[Page 111]

4 August, 1916 Friday

Battle of

The Battle at 0100 was raging fiercely & they still drove our right flank back and at 0300 they charged using the bayonet freely they were driven back at first but at last they took Mt Meridith, an awful din was taking place & the fire was getting heavier every minute & at dawn things were at their climax & then our artillery came into action, they then bombed our camp with 8 planes dropping in all 130 bombs & a battery of heavy howitzers opened on our redoubts & blew them to blazes the 2nd Bde now came into action & materially helped to check them on the right although they still continued to advance at midday we were withdrawn & sent out to the right & try & out flank them, this we did & they fell back at the gallop we then bivouacked at an unnamed Hod.

5 August, 1916 Saturday

Romani

We moved out again at 0400 our artillery was pumping lead into them at battery fire & they were still withdrawing & go as hard as we could we couldn't engage them before we reached Matariah, here they held a prepared position & we with 3 L.H. Bde & one NZ Mtd Bde charged them, here our fellows looked excellent seeing them gallop into action & again we drove them back although they got on to the 3rd Bde with high explosive, we took many prisoners & tons of loot & worse luck had to retire on Romani to give our horses a chance to get a drink. They had none for just on 30 hours, we eventually got in at 11.30 & immediately went to bunk thoroughly exhausted although happy & contented. No reveille tomorrow.