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[Page 16]
to tell was what Battalion No. and name and nothing else concerning the British Army. This was all done by about 8.30. Then we had till about 10 P.M. to think over the matter and there was a lot of things said in joke but turned out to be true such as if I get knocked write home and tell them that I fell neath the dear of flag for freedom. We changed addresses with each other. There was a chap by the name of Paddy I did not know his other name but he came to me and said I will keep with you going over to night (meaning me) I said alright and we shook hands on the bargain. The time came to move up to the starting post and shells were going in all directions from both sides men getting killed and wounded all round us but on we went. Nothing but Pozieres was in our minds that night we were out to capture it and capture it we would or die in the attemp. We got to the hopping over the trench A. & B. Coy took the 1st line D the 2nd C the 3rd. I think the time was 12.45 A.M. on the 23/7/16 the the order came over boys C Coy went over in this order 9,10,11, 12 Platoon. When 9 & 10 was all out of the trench they moved on about 50 yeards in no mans land then out went 11 & 12 platoons we got in nomans land and got into position about 4 feet apart and we was supposed to go all the way over like that for about a ¼ of a mile. It was done till we got to the first German line then we got a sort of mixed up the shell fire kept getting hotter and machine guns bullets were whizzing every where. There was L/C Tomlinson, McCowan, Waugh myself and this Paddy all together and we kept that way still near the Second line the[n] Tom Waugh was killed. Tomlinson and McCowan was wounded they went back and Paddy and I was on our own.
We could see men moveing about but we did not know who they were. 3 came up to us and asked what Btn we were. We told them they belonged to the 11th Btn who were away on our right but some of our men were like there. Three got lost. I and Paddy was wandering about then we run into a Sgt of 9 Platoon he being on the Peninsula we let him lead us. So he said the fire is to hot to go on so we got in a big shell hole then he told us that he thought that we were to far to the left and that he also thought that the most of our Coy was behind us. Then a shell burst just a few yards in front of us and the Sgt said I am hit. And so he was. I wanted to bandage him up but he would not wait. I felt something touch me on the back as I was laying down and I turned arround to Paddy and said I think we will go to those other fellows as there seems to be safty in numbers. But I got no answer. Then I got hold of him and shook him but he was dead his head cut open and his steel helmet was cut in half and that was what I felt on my back. One half of the helmet hit me and rolled off. But I was luckey not to got a scratch out of it for I was laying between them Paddy to be killed and the Sgt half killed they found the Sgt after with a bandage on his head put on very loose but he was dead. So I went on and found some more of my mates by the name of Arthur Sands, George Barnett and Bob Creary so on we went then we crossed a railway line then by the plan we knew that we were not far from the trench we had to take. We could see some one on a head and when we got to them we found that they were a mixed lot 1st 3rd 4th and 11th Btn and this trench is blown in so we got into it there was only 8 or 9 of us at this