Item 02: Charles Monaghan diary, 1917 - Page 80
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[Page 80]
1917 Friday 23 March
Fritz is steadying up a bit & offering more resistance. Yet both British & French are pressing him back daily.
Went this evening after tea to Fricourt & roamed over that henceforth historical battlefield. It was here that the Huns were deeply entrenched at the beginning of the big push of July 1st last year. Standing there on the brink of the huge shell craters, one could not but be over-awed at the frightfulness of the scene even at this time 9 months later. Ghastly holes a hundred feet deep thousands of ripped & shattered sandbags, long lines of wicked looking rusty barbed wire & most pathetic & moving sight of all, the great group of little white crosses is where our gallant boys were collected & buried on the actual scene of their triumph.