Item 01: Clifford M. Geddes diary, 31 March-1 August 1918 - Page 78
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[Page 78]
books, & the family were evidently bird lovers. In one room, a girls, there only remained a pair of good boots from a Paris shop, in another bedroom were hat Boxes (but no hats) bearing the names of Paris shops also. In another room was a fine blue French military coat & several white stiff shirts. There was a big album of views I'd liked to have been able to take & send home. In one set of shelves I saw some fine crockery, but everything carriable if not broken had been taken, the destruction by shells was awful. A lovely carpet ran up all the stairs, & it was unharmed. Lying on the floor on a beautiful curtain was an unexploded shell. The whole lovely deserted chateau was a standing example of war's hideousness. I got a few souvenirs in the shape of letters & cards written in French to Madame Delacour, who evidently lived here, & thanking her for gifts. There was still a smell of gas about the place. When I got back to the party, Lt Hall asked me where I'd been, I told him we couldn't find any small stakes, saw plenty of trees in the wood, but had no axe to cut them. He said "where are your 3 men?" I lost them when we were roaming through the chateau & told him they were all back.