Item 04: James I. Marshall diary, 24 November-12 December 1916 - Page 21

[Page 21]

immediately followed by a sound like a tank hurtling across overhead at the speed of the PLM Express. That one burst about 800 yds to the rear, so that we were able to sit up & take note of its peculiarities. It continued firing at the same intervals, searching the whole area, for an hour or more, when I suppose it was captured, or moved away. during the day.

Before that came about long we had moved up to Bayonvillers, resting en route in a gully near Dog Wood. At Bayonvillers the companies took up their positions in the line [blank], in case of eventualities. We were in a hollow on the left of the village where some of us rigged up decent shelters. On arrival, the village was visited by numerous souvenir hunters but there was not much doing.

A book describing the exploits of the "Wolff" was very interesting. Amongst other items it confirmed our rumour that it's seaplane had flown over Sydney, and described the Aussies taken off the "Matunga" as Portugese. In the photo shewn, they all looked well and. I found a volume of Shakespeare's works, well annotated and fingermarked; by some ardent admirer of that bard, I suppose.