Item 01: H. E. Gissing diary, 13 December 1914-17 December 1915 - Page 83
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[Page 83]
was finishing the work our whole crowd trooped up & the Corporal asked that as there was not much more to do & and we were only lent for a short time could he allow us to return to our unit. I could have dropped with shame especially as an hour before we had arranged to get our kits over & make a longer stay. The permission was given & off they trooped one man especially being afraid to return for his kit. However nothing else could be done so we returned for our kits or what we had of them & I promptly accused some of them of spoiling the reputation our fellows had made. But apart from making a couple heartily ashamed of themselves it was wasted & we set off for our unit a distance of about six miles. Some of them even objected to marching home in the sun. So I went off with 3 others & left them to it. I could understand being nervous I was myself but they shewed an absolute lack of all the decencies. According to the tales recorded by some of them we witnessed some awful things but they were absolutely pure invention. I arrived about 4.15 P.M. had tea, wrote up my diary & then turned in for a good night's rest.