Item 04: John Duncan McRae diary, 6 May-18 September 1917 - Page 65

[Page 65]

with ceaseless ceaselessness.

Alan persuaded me to go & see Charlie Chaplin in the Bapaume pictures in the evening. On the way home we revisited the demolished church & after 40 minutes hard work succeeded in dragging down an old torn paining from one of the walls. This we tore into sections & washed & are we are going to try & post the best parts of it home as souvenirs.

July 3. A gas-alarm was sounded sometime in the middle of last night & we all scrambled in the dark for our P.H. Helmets & wore them 'at the alert' for the rest of the night. In the morning we watched a demonstration 'stunt' by one of our platoons.

At 2 o'clock the Brigade turned out for a Memorial Service in honour of Genl. Holmes who was killed whilst in company with Mr. Holman 5000 yards behind the lines. Mr Holman, I believe,