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[Page 35]
Val-de-Maison on our way for the night. At St Seger we had a particularly good time, for with the exception of 2 hours exercise in the morning and cleaning harness from 2 to 3 in the afternoon we had the rest of the time to ourselves, whilst sports were arranged for us every afternoon.
August 16. Just before tea we had orders to move within half an hour so that everything was hurry and bustle, however, we managed to be on the road on record time, and marched all night to a spot near Albert where we rested for about three hours. After that we moved out to a waggon line position just outside the town, and as it had been raining on and off throughout the march it did not look too comfortable. We had been there about an hour and a half when the Captain called for me and we went to find the sight for our gun pits. We walked all the way and eventually a site was picked out in Mash Valley. Not long after we started the rain came down in torrents and we were soon wet through and trudging over the slippery ground was no good. It was about 10.30 p.m. before we pitched camp again, wet through after having had nothing except a biscuit or an egg since dinner time the day before so you bet I was hungry. I had, however, some tea with the Captain before turning in so felt pretty right again, although very tired, for after riding from about 7 the previous evening to mid-day I had immediately to go out on this expedition walking about 10 miles in all. Next day we went into action in this place and are still here on August 29th, having had a pretty quiet time. One afternoon whilst returning from Sausage Valley where we were expected to take up a position, a crump burst about 10 yards away, but luckily I was close enough to miss it, and it went over my head. As I was walking in the open I took to the trenches immediately.
Aug. 30th to Sept. 4. Things still very quiet here, although Fritz has been putting a fair amount of shrapnel over of a nighttime. Luckily no one has been hit. Whilst having a bath a couple of days ago I slipped and a nail in the board I was standing on put a gash of about 2 inches on the bottom of my foot. However, it is very clean and it only means a short time before it is quite right again. The night before last our boys supported by some