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[Page 5]
would be found ultimately.
Hell was certainly opened by now. The maxims cracked in hundreds (they seemed thousands to me); simultaneously, trench mortars and additional batteries opened fire from all points of the field. Ping, ping, whiz bang,
K-r-upp of High explosives accompanied by explosions everywhere; we continued to advance without giving those things a thought.
My one and only desire, was to reach the second trench, - my objective. It is very difficult to estimate the distance covered in an advance of this kind, but roughly speaking, I was then 800 yards from the original line. The second wire proved a very formidable obstacle. The opposition reached a most critical and devastating stage here and the air was thick with a hail of lead and shells. No. 1. Gunner Best; fell dead at my feet, pierced with dozens of M.G. bullets. The invaluable Lewis gun fell into the wire entanglements and I immediately rescued it and plunged further into the barbed wire, my clothes were torn and my skin scratched from head to foot. The party now numbered three, Within a few minutes the third man fell. The Corporal and myself pushed forward, I carried the gun and a pannier of ammunition, which was a very heavy load in addition to my equipment. The Corporal scouted round the immediate vicinity and managed to find two additional panniers.
I could see the trenches quite plainly by now; whence Huns, in hundreds were hurling bombs and firing guns and rifles and trench mortars and etc, from various quarters. On my extreme right I could distinguish men of A Coy – 16th Batt, engaged in a hellish struggle with the Huns, and facing terrific odds; in fact wherever one looked the same sort of fighting presented itself. I had little time to consider and much less to study others, whilst in such a dangerous and critical position. Moreover, I was keen upon reaching the second trench, to make use of my Lewis gun in clearing saps leading up in a horse shoe construction, to the chief objective. My left arm suddenly fell limp and useless to my side; simultaneously the gun shot forward into the thick mud a few yards in front of me; my right arm was still