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[Page 52]
we had ever seen, they made no difference to us, & now let me say right here, for it is true as true can be, those of our chaps who had cards, fetched them out & started playing, that was one of the first things that struck the sailors, it needed nerve I can tell you for now it was daylight & the water was just a mass of bursting shrapnel, & they had the range to a nicety, the destroyer rushed us over as fast & as far as she could & then the sailors met us with rowing boats we quickly filled these & off we went with shells bursting all around us, we were lucky in our boat for only one man was hit it seemed miraculous how we dodged the shells I'll swear one did not miss us by more than a foot, & another one
burst all over us & only one man was hit, though the boat stopped about a dozen shrap's, everyone was as cool as could be, & those that could were pulling on the oars I remember Len was pulling on one however we reached the beach at last & we leaped out quick & lively, I must have jumped into a deep place for I went in up to my arm-pits & had to struggle ashore with about 150 lb on my back, & rifle held high over my head to deep it from getting wet.
some of our Battn's boats were not so lucky as we were, for one or two of them got smashed right up & everyone was drowned they would sink like a stone with such a weight on them after we got ashore Lieut Payne got us together & we started up for the firing