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[Page 531]

the 53rd Battn were called upon to find the relief.

But it was nearly midnight before this particular post was relieved mainly due to want of experience on behalf of the guide & who after a little time collapsed & had to be sent out.

When the Company paraded to move back only 44 men answered the roll call but many had become mixed up with other Companies & for instance the Sergts post had been overlooked through the inexperience of the guide.

When eventually the time came for relief the Sentry found that it was only with great pain that he could walk at all & although the Sergt carried his rifle for a mile or two his feet were so troublesome that the speed of the others was also slow.

Seeing this and as shells were falling quite close & any one shell might "get" the whole of the men, the Sentry suggested to the Sergt to allow the others to push on, out of danger, but this he refused to do.

After going a couple of miles the Sergt had to enquire from an officer his proper direction, but as the shelling was a little more brisk here, the men pushed on quickly & were soon forty or fifty yards in front of the Sentry who was slowly sadly & sorely plodding behind.

This officer thinking the Sergt had misunderstood his direction called to him but being so far ahead the Sergt failed to hear.

Not knowing why the officer called the Sentry halted the party & the Sergt coming back, was sent to the officer. At the moment of being halted a shell struck just five or six feet in front of the leading man but being a "dud" it stuck in the mud but did not burst, however it gave the whole party a bit of a scare. Had the party not been halted some of the leading men undoubtedly would have been killed.

After this incident till the destination was reached the pace of the party was the pace of the

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