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[Page 161]

quickly decreased numbers, made a dashing charge through the bombing Huns & at 8 am on Thursday, the welcome report was received that all our men, able, had got back.

This immediately stirred the men in our front line with the fiercest thoughts in anticipation of a counter attack from the Huns, but although our ranks had been sadly reduced the Huns never made a move & soon with reinforcements coming in our position, so lightly held for five hours was again made strong enough to repel the Huns, had they "come on".

The men who had charged in coming back had had a frightful time & suffered severely, while those in the front line had to "Stand to" knowing full well that every bursting shell from the battery on the left would every time, from each bay, take two to four men. In many bays every man was either killed or wounded. In one bay near a "sally port", the men were continually being reinforced by men returning from the Huns line, after bomb or ammunition carrying, or in the charge.

During the one visit of an officer permission was given to the men in this "bay" to go into the dug out provided that a man would be kept on watch & although only big enough to allow six men to lie stretched out, all the men except the Sentry managed somehow to obtain shelter, together with the wounded.

Those in the dug out would about every 30 seconds, call to the Sentry Are you there? to which he would reply Yes! or Alright!. When a very big shell burst every man in the dug out would cry Are you there? Yes! would go the reply. This had to be kept up in case the sentry would be "knocked", another would have had to take his place.

It was during the visit of the officer that his attention was called by the private on Sentry duty, to the terrible

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