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[Page 85]
failed to reach it by about 5 yards, for down he come, it dosn't make much difference to Len whether they are running or not he is an absolutely dead shot, he also shot an old Johnny Turk with his automatic in the Pine"
It seemed lonely for a while after this affair for so many of our mates were killed, McShane Griffiths, Brown, Curtiss, Walsh Eady, Hopkins, Bradford, Hayward, all were dead & lots more wounded.
It took us till the 12th to get things straightened up a bit, & then on the 13th we had a very hot time, they introduced the famous 75, she skittled 30 out of 60 men who were holding a dangerous part of the line in a few minutes "By Jove" they are an awful gun I am very pleased we have not many of them to face I can quite understand how the French
slaughter the German's with this deadly weapon, they travel that fast that they are ½ a mile past you before you hear the report of the gun, that is if you are lucky & still alive, I have seen them come through a parapet 4 bags thick & burst in trench the killing or wounding all in it, I sent the cap of one home that just grazed my head, & killed my mate who was standing alongside me.
The trenches were alive with maggots & when trying to get a few winks of a night they would crawl all over you, & the place was even worse than out own trenches for lice & fleas, so you can see what with one thing & another, it was no holiday in there besides nearly everyone was nearly dead with a sort of dysentery, & to eat your meals or to try & get a little quiet place was impossible on