Item 01: Clifford M. Geddes diary, 31 March-1 August 1918 - Page 57
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 57]
book with German writing in it, also a charger & 5 cartridges. His chargers work much easier than ours. At dusk we began to dig new trenches in sections, isolated ones & not connected. Just in front of us is a lovely big house, deserted & ruined by shell fire. Our supports are a short distance in front of us, & our front line in front of them. Flares were constantly going up & lighting up No Man's Land, it was a misty night. A German machine gun's bullets were zipping about our ears, & made us lie flat on the grass for a while. We are to dig all night, & stay in the "pozzy" by day in case he attacks; also we couldn't dig by day, or he'd spot us & wipe us out. At midnight we had to knock off & carry up rations. It had been raining for some time, we had no shelter, & just put waterproof sheets over our shoulders & stood in it. Monday 29 April At midnight, as I said, we reported to Company headquarters in an old house, & were detailed into ration parties. Reported at battalion headquarters in the village, & found we shouldn't have come till 2a.m, so we went into the cellar of a house to wait. It simply reeked with gas down in the small space. Fritz has been raining gas shells into the village we were told. There were lots of bed clothes