Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 14]
by the Transport section & the various escorting parties under Lt Bailey accomplishing this task. It might be mentioned that owing to the heavy shell fire, no fish plates were used on this line the rails being butted together; when a shell struck the line it only blew away the particular section struck whereas with fish plates several lengths of rail either side of the crater would be bent & twisted. On completion of this line It was almost as equally as heavy a task to maintain this line as to build it – the number of direct hits averaged from 10 to 12 per night. Besides this maintenance more plank roads were built, mule tracks made, duckwalk tracks.
The new plank road leading from the Menin road to Westhoek was duplicated & a road built from Zonnebeke about one mile beyond that village besides another leading from Zonnebeke southwards parallel to the front line. The Battalion camp was again bombed on 21st Oct causing casualties among the animals but no men altho' Major Morrison had an extremely narrow escape. It was with considerable relief that orders were received on Nov 5th to hand over all forward work. The battalion had them been working for 2 months continuously on the forward lines of communication during one of the periods of heaviest fighting experienced thro'out the war. The continuous strain was having its effect all round.
The battalion marched on Nov 9 by march route to a new sector & took up its quarters at [Spy?] Farm near the village of [Luidenhoek?] quite close to the foot of Mt [indecipherable] - Two Coys & Battalion HQ's were established at this camp while two coys camped in good quarters further forward. There were also a few detached parties including the Lewis Gunners who were employed entirely on Anti Aircraft work & had been fulfilling this function for some little time. To describe in detail the various works carried out by the battalion for the next six weeks would take a lot of explanation. The area was a quiet one shelling was spasmodic & confined to more or less particular areas while enemy aircraft