Brewster 'A Glimpse of War through a Private's Eyes', a retrospective account of experiences in World War I, 1915-1917 / John James Brewster - Page 127
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[Page 127]
the help of re-inforcements. On hearing this it made the members of our battalion feel as if they already were experienced veterans, especially as this particular Tommy Brigade had been in four or five battles lower down the line.
On being relieved we moved out of the line & although, the Huns, evidently aware of the change, kept up a continual fire we marched out on to the road without further loss. A march of about four miles, through the village of Fleurbaix brought us to the town or village of Bac-St Maur where the Battalion secured billets & acted practically as an additional reserve. Our Company was quartered in what appeared to have been a large School, pretty old & very delapidated, but not much knocked about by shells.
While in these billets we had the very best time of all. There were no parades or duties, outside fatigue work, of any kind, & no restrictions, (beyond a very reasonable boundary) whatever, were placed on the men, who could just do as they pleased, & come & go as often & when they liked. Our officers were billeted on the same floor but in a separate room to the men, but as the Captain had promised, his Company could have as good a time as was possible under the circumstances, & the Company did.
Every man heartily enjoyed himself here, & such was the unrestricted liberty to go where & to do as one pleased, that all the irksome feelings of a burdensome existence disappeared as if by magic & every one seemed, & really was, as happy as the days were long. The men were allowed to rest or exert themselves just as their own sweet wills dictated & without the slightest doubt they were never more ready & willing to do any work when called upon.
Later when the time came for our battalion to do fatigue work in carrying ammunition, bombs, wire duck boards Etc to the line every man was in his place ready to move off, & when it was known that the men were required to fall in at four