Item 01: Malcolm Shore Stanley correspondence, 8 December 1916-28 October 1918 - Page 303
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[Page 303]
great stunt. I felt quite merry & enjoyed it immensely, overhead our guns were heaving stuff over - not very heavily, comming to road, I turned to see that working parties were obeying orders, they were going tip top, then I moved on ahead of my patrol nearly 100 yds, here I taped a site to the music of a machine gun about 80 yds away, sent my patrol out a bit further & went back to my No 1 party got them moving, instructed the officer to throw out a covering patrol & withdrew with my patrol to the No 2 party, got Patrol to go out & examine site & to come back & report, they did so & soon No 2 were digging.
Then I went to left to look at other two parties, No 4 was digging, remainder with left patrols were sheltering in sunken road. Got hold of officer of left Patrol Mr Miles & asked him to get off out in front as quickly as he could. He did so & immediately my sappers & myself went out & taped out a site. Soon No. 3 party were digging everything worked fine. After about an hour Fritz who had been jolly figetty with his verey lights & machine guns took it into his old head that something was wrong - evidently his men had retired as the left party came up - started his guns going & mine goodness he gave us a time, shelled our men off the jobs, wounded 4 & killed Mr. Miles.
The Patrols started to come in & I happened to cop 'im & 'imstied them out again emphasising the point with a revolver, then as the fire slackened I rooted out the working parties out of holes & got things going again - sent message back to headquarters.
Taking a scout I lost myself trying to get across country to the folks on