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[Page 15]
moveing off again. And the C.O. told our Officer Luetant McShane to follow on behind. But Mc said we could not as we had no dinner and we done 15 miles already. So the CO said have dinner and come on after to Bernancourt [Dernancourt] 9 miles more and didn't we swear and call the C.O. all the Huns we could think of. But we cooled down after a while and up we got and after the Btn. It was some march that day it was the longest I ever done and the worst for it was a very hilly part and it was summer and hard roads. We stayed in this town till the 7/6/16 when we marched to Warloy. Now this is where we had the final touch put on us for the Pozieres stunt and it was drill hard and fast day and night. And the C.O. putting us through it himself I remember him saying one day at smoko if the 1st Btn dont take there part of the line I will shoot you myself. On 19/6/16 we left Warloy also our kits diarys private letters and such like behind. All we had was overcoat waterproof sheet and fighting kit. We passed through Albert at about 4 P.M. and we halted in front of the church with the statue hanging over and Cpt McKenzie said look up boys and watch the dive. And all kinds of British regiments was around wishing all sorts of luck. And one big Scottie came up to me and Mc and said if we could not take Pozieres you cant. And other British regiments told us the same. We marched on a few yards further then we camped and had tea biscuits and bully. And after it got dark up to the line we went. But it was not the front line we stayed in a support line about a ¼ of a mile behind and this trench was only 2 ft deep in places and we had to make it proof against rifle and machine gun fire. And it was some job to for as soon as we would get a section done over come a shell and fill it in again and so on allnight long on the morning of the 20th we were counting the hours to the time that we would be hoping over and have a look at Fritz.
But the attack was postponed to the 23rd. But I dont know which was the worst to make an attack or doing the fatigue. I was on it on the 20/6/16 and there was men getting knocked over in all directions. It was something awful us new lads was beginning to find out what war was like we were carring water amunition food and tools to the front line for reserve. But every man in the 1st Div had made his mind up that they would not be beaten in there first Battle in France. And they worked on without a murmur and said that there turn would come and it did to. On the night of the 20/6/16 I with 7 other was put on gas guard over the Officers now these men had a German dugout about 30 ft. deep all timbered with Origon Pine 4 ft. long 10 inches wide and 2 ½ inches thick there was two ways in and out and they had a man at each entrance with fixed baynett and orders to wake them up at the least sign of gas. We were on this till about 7 P.M. on the evening of the 22/7/19 [22/7/16] when we were told off in sections of about 9 to 12 men in each with a L/C or Cpl in charge of us and shown a plan of the line of trench we had to take. Well A & B Coy had the best of it for they had been up in the front line and seen the German lines so they had a fair idea of the way they had to go. But C & D Coy had to do the act by a rough plan and trust to luck. So we were issued with 250 round of amunition 2 millo hand grenades 3 sand bags and 48 hours rations with strict orders if we got taken prisoners all we had