Item 04: James I. Marshall diary, 24 November-12 December 1916 - Page 52

[Page 52]

For a few days they were busy straightening up and I was getting despondent over the expectation of at last having to do parades when my star rose again. The pay sergeant looked me up and asked me to help him audit the books for the replacement by a new issue. And so I smiled again.

After helping him for a few days I went with him to Bde H.Q to help write up the new ones. There he formed a staff of about twenty and we had a very good time.

We were fortunate in getting a good billet and with good people. Plenty of milk & eggs were obtainable and often madame cooked us fish, for ourselves, and also had us to dinner with them several times.– particularly after they had killed a pig. Being favoured with an extra pay we were able to do things in style and plenty of leave was available if wanted.

About this time the fighting was going easy according to what papers we got, but much alarm was caused by word received of the 1st & 4th Divisions of impending move forward. (A speedy finish though was never doubted) though we all felt glad if it was necessary to leave the area, for the 'la grippe' was prevalent, and though we suffered little on the whole, a few of our best men had gone. Anyway, on Friday, the 8th Nov, came a bombshell.