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[Page 177]

Those in the dug out had to sit huddled together with their heads bent forward & their arms clasped about the knees & the wounded had a terrible time.

A number of bomb carriers had gone into the dug out & when requested to make room so as to rest the men who had been "standing to" refused to move, and even when an officer came along urgently asking for bomb carriers he had to produce his torch & revolver to induce four of them to leave. One man however who was huddled up in the corner, was evidently nearly driven mad for he not only refused to obey the officers call, but said he did not care even if he was shot, he would not get out for anyone & was too scared to be of any use, if forcibly ejected.

He certainly looked like one staring death in the face, & was well frightened at the prospect. In pity he was allowed to remain there the whole time, even when at two in the morning, when a peremptory order was passed along for every man, no matter what he was doing to "Stand to" in the bays.

The whole night long this man shivered & shook like a poplar leaf in a breeze, uttering subdued moans whenever a very loud shell burst sounded close.

The bay itself in a very short time was actually festooned with numerous pieces of shell, hanging to the sandbags of both parapet & parados, while the "bored-like" holes made by the flying nose caps of the shells numbered between 50 & 60 in the space of 20 feet. The biggest piece of shell in the bottom of the trench was 6 or 7 Inches long by 4 Inches wide & how it missed shearing the heads of two or three or cutting a man in two, seeing how close together the men were standing remained quite a mystery.

When the shells of the enfilading battery could be heard working down the line with clockwork regularity, all eyes

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