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[Page 525]

would hold it together till relieved for good, which was expected at eight or nine oclock.

This work had to be carried out by the men themselves for the Sergt was still suffering from "shock", & had to lie down at "Headquarters"

It was really amusing to see how annoyed the Sergt was, not from the Shell Shock, but because he thought the men might think he was "frightened" but the men knew better than that they could not have had a "steadier" man, although they could not help heartily laughing when his efforts to light a cigarette were quite hopeless for both the cigarette in his lips & his hand with the match were shaking like a poplar leaf. One of the men at last had to light the cigarette & then hand it to him in fact placed it in his mouth.

To take "post" two men at once went straight back again, with discretionary power to get as close as possible to the front line for a clear view of the enemy without undue exposure or movement.

Although very tired & weary the same six men had to keep up this watch & one can imagine what they thought about it, especially as the 20 men who had come out at 6 o'clock in the morning had done nothing by lie down at ease behind the wall which represented "A Coys" "Headquarters" & these men were still there when the others went back again to take up their positions

As the sentry & his partner were marching through the down timber alongside a wall dividing the village of Louverval, or what remained of it, from the wood, rapid firing in the air directed their attention to a fight going on between an Allied airman & two Huns.

While they were manoevring for position, two Allied Aeroplanes darted across to support their comrade however they were too late for just as they appeared to get within range the "plane" first attacked

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