Item 01: H. E. Gissing diary, 13 December 1914-17 December 1915 - Page 80
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[Page 80]
for bed. During the day there was a heavy bombardment of a position 1500 yards from us where some heavy guns were situated. It was very picturesque & rather alarming as the shells went screaming over our heads. Damage done, 2 men laid out. The shells on landing sent up a fine shower of earth & when they landed in the water the column of water was very pretty. Added to that a shrapnel shell burst just to the rear of the Hospital giving us all rather a shock. It was strange to see the men shrink up & many of them duck into dugouts when the shell was heard approaching. 'Tis a sensible thing to do however. The funniest episode of all happened during the afternoon. We had just "fallen in" & the shells had just stopped when four heavy blasts occurred on the cliff front just 10 yards in front of us & earth & small stones fell all around of us left. Some bolted at the first bang & so on till the fourth when not a man was standing in his original place & some were hundreds of yards away. It was nothing but the Egyptians blasting some rock to build a new pier. But to return. We embarked in two motor Ambulances, which took us 3 miles on our way, about 11 oclock