Item 01: Malcolm Shore Stanley correspondence, 8 December 1916-28 October 1918 - Page 302
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 302]
9.5.18
France
My dear Mother Father & Sister
Am just waiting for a relief, a chap I knew well is coming out to take over my job he is quite welcome to it mine goodness this sector is a lively one, things have shook themselves up over the past 3 weeks.
I wrote you a few days ago just as I was waiting to go out to help the boys as a matter of fact I did not expect to get out of it, things looked mighty serious. Artillery were to prepare a patch of ground & we had to go over & consolidate, 10 pm was zero hour or in ordinary terms "the time the fun began".
About 8 pm I left my billet with sappers (four) & wandered up to assembly point here I found my parties lying on the ground. A corporal took two parties on the left, I took two on the right, one parties were to be preceeded by fighting patrols whose job was to "mop up" any opposition. At 9.50 pm - 10 minutes before zero - the officer in chg. of my patrol was wounded, his sergeant didn't know any thing of the proposed stunt. I sent a message back to headquarters & in meantime asked one of the other infantry officers to take chg. of the patrol - he refused stating that he did not know the country. Seeing that orders had been issued to carry out the work at all costs, I was compelled to take control. Turning to the Sergeant I gave him orders to form up the patrol in fighting order & turning to working parties I told them to follow at suitable intervals, No. 1 to be down when we came to road, No. 2 to move 150 yds. along road to north & lie down, then taking my position in front I lead the parties out, it was a