Item 01: James William Dains diary, 21 November 1916-4 June 1917 - Page 103

[Page 103]

The 4 footballs are now honoured trophies of these regiments, many of them fell in the attack. Here is the site of La Bassee. There is nothing but a tree trunk or the stumps of a hedge to show where a village of 6 or 700 inhabitants lived. We then went over to Poziers. This is a place of great historic interest to the Australians. Three attempts were made to take it before the Australians were called up & given the task. They took it after a few hours. Before it the ground is pitted with shell holes, every yard there is a shell crater, now the grass is growing on the old battlefield & many of our lads paid the greatest price at this spot & the Troops won great renown. The German dugouts are still to be seen, some of them going down 100 feet below the ground & their huge forts feet thick of reinforced concrete could not stand before our terrible artillery. There is not one vestige of the village left. It is difficult to find a brick, even they have