State Library of NSW
[Page 428]
the 19th has about 250 left out of a 1000, in fact the 5th Brigade are not a 1000 strong. All the same the Australians have taken the trenches allotted to them. Strike me pink the square heads are dead mongrels. They will keep firing until you are two yds off them & then drop their rifle & ask for mercy They get it too right where the chicken gets the axe. They have wonderful dug outs. Three stories down & the three together will hold about 300 men.Well when we hop in they wont come up, say they are fixing wounded up Well we have two gallon tins & we have them filled with oil & tie a mill's bomb to the handle. Set the bomb going & then throw it down to them. You should see the blaze & hear the yells, you can bet there is not a live one down there. I never had my boots off for 17 days nor had a shave or wash. We are not going to any more fronts like the Somme again so don't worry.Gee whiz shells were like hail stones, in fact they were flying the whole time we were up there. Never mind I dodged them and will fit a few more before I have finished. its good sport father, when the bayonet goes in there eyes bulge out like a prawns. They have em all ages up there, & I think they are running short of men, although they seem to have plenty of ammunition. We send over 180,000 shells all sizes, a day at the Somme. We had two nights gas but they only got a few. We send over more gas than them now.Look, keep all this news to yourself, & if you do tell anybody confidentially say you heard it from some one else. For Heavens
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