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[Page 30]
6/9/15 our old ground in rear & we could see them over Shouba Bay as well. Battery (mountain) of artillery working – (no telephone) passing orders by word of mouth. Old Indian NCO standing & repeating orders hand up to side of face. Eye blown out bullet entered sideways. Refused to be relieved. "I can't see but I can still repeat orders". High explosive – men some distance away killed. Legs flattened absolutely against side of trench – all by concussion only. Bed. Roused midnight by heavy fusillade & big guns.
7/9/15 4.20 Stand to. All alert & on post. Stink very bad. Too many corpses uncovered. Went back to mat until 7.30. Round trenches with Major Smith – all cheerful. No casualties among ours but a few of the old hands wiped out and our men standing alongside drenched in blood. Corpses a fortnight old lying midway between trenches, all in full equipment. Men buried in the saps also and alterations in trenches bringing them to light. The men doing their own cooking in dug outs and sleeping all over the place. Snipers at work all the time. The tunnels a special feature running from section to section, pitch dark & cellar smelling. Many queries from men "What the hell is the good of sitting here. Why can't we charge & blow the bastards out? Reply from old hands. Yer b – ds put yer b – head over parapet & get a little sudden death. You wouldn't get 5 b- yards