Cocks letter diary, 1916-1919 / Verner Cocks - Page 564

[Page 564]

No wonder they had asked us what the --- we were doing there.   We hadn't guessed it was No Man's Land though nor did we guess that that line of men away out in front of us was the first wave lined up in No Man's Land on the hopping off tape right under Fritz very nose.   How he didn't see them I don't know.   Just as well though for had he sprayed his machine gun along our parapet he couldn't have failed to get some of them.   The mystery of the whole thing got me.   Men moved about whispered when it was necessary to talk - stood like ghostly statues when a light shot up in all kinds of positions.   So long as they didn't move an inch they were safe.   They knew their game too for all stood like pillars until the light flickered out.   We were lost and sat on the parapet watching while our Sergeant looked for the R.A.P., not a shell passed overhead and machine guns were asleep everything strangely quiet - moving shapes flittered here and there silently in the darkness.   I wondered whether a war was on - it seemed ridiculous.   In an hours time the most hellish barrage that had ever descended upon man was to bite the atmosphere.   It seemed too eerie.   I got the wind up and hopped into the trench.   At length we found the R.A.P.   Two German Tunnels into the parapet half finished but deep enough to be safe from anything.   We crowded into these and sat in all sorts of uncomfortable positions waiting.   Half dozing we passed away an hour or two the throb of a motor now and again told us the tanks were pulling into position.   Would they be heard and give away the whole show!!!   I became cramped and got out into the trench.   4.21 a.m. arrived at last.   I must have been half asleep, but simultaneously at zero hour a thousand guns burst upon the eerie silence and the most tremendous barrage ever known in history tore overhead and hit the earth 150 yards in front of us.   Three minutes on Fritz's front line (how much longer could anything live under that hail) and the tanks and boys were off (as the barrage lifted another 100 yards) to kill everything that remained.   I can imagine now that as soon as a man hops off that tape he knows no more - cares nought for anything.   Sitting in the front trench our shells whizzed and seemed to miss the parapet by inches.   A few came back - not many - a machine gun spat - not for long - but I was afraid to risk one glimpse over the top.   The barrage lengthened and Fritz's fire died out absolutely.   For months before we had spotted his guns and left them alone until tonight they must have been blown out very soon.   By daylight a heavy fog had descended and this favoured the attackers hiding their movements.   Cases started to arrive and then out we got to start work.   No one had any idea where to go as we had come up in the dark and got lost and now you couldn't see more than 5 yards in front of you.   One squad set out to find a way but fortunately by the time the next case arrived and sun had destroyed the mist and prisoners came in - the first batch 30 strong.   They brought them to the R.A.P. loaded them with wounded and off they went with one of us as guide.   How do you like me at the head of a long train of prisoners carrying wounded.   The synosure of interest all along the route.   I felt some kid too.   Answering the enquiries of the passers by "how are the boys doing digger?"   "Home on the bit I would say".   "What she like up there dig?"   "Goodo", and others, "you know your draft digger", "that's right work the blighters" (only they didn't say "blighters").   "Got many souvenirs dig?" and many other remarks.   This is how we got the wounded cleared - there were more of Fritz's than ours and by noon we had got everything away.   Our men had to take a wood just in front and proceed on about two miles.   They did it easily and at 8 a.m. another lot hopped over where our chaps had dug in - under cover of the fog  (but for the fog they would have dug in under a smoke barrage) and pushed on another four miles so that by the end of the day we were about 8 miles behind the battle.   The advance went on so fast that a few hours after dawn the smaller guns were out of range and came galloping down the road on which nothing living could move in daytime for months past to new positions.   Soon that road was a moving mass of traffic and through this prisoners and wounded wended their way back.   Even the balloons began to move up and passed us telling that all was going well ahead.   One balloon was very daring and seemed to hang right over his lines.   He made it a bit too hot and came down in flames at the end of the day.   In the evening we moved up to join the battalion where it had dug in and occupied two deep dugouts which looked like Fritz's headquarters.   We had to pull a dead Fritz out of the mouth of one  €‹notwithstanding €‹ in order to get in.   Being just about tired we slept pretty well that night notwithstanding the evil smelling dugouts and wandered round all next day souvenir hunting and amusing ourselves with Fritz verey lights of which there were any amount about.   The village close by was battered to pieces and the little cemetry looked a sorry sight.   Many of the tomb stones had been smashed, fallen in and broken open the coffins showing shrouded forms.   Shells are no respectors of sentiment.   Saw many captured guns and horses lying around.   Our tanks had just come up as Fritz was drawing them out, machine gunned the horses and took the guns crews prisoners.