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[Page 82]
17/11/15
During afternoon went up to B8 but owing to gusty wind & general unpleasantness of day Turks seemed to be keeping close to earth. Saw a few mules loads of provisions and saw one Turk full length come out stretch and louse himself. Work proceeding underground and they have raised or planted in pit sharp pointed stakes which it is thought they may attempt to connect into entanglements with barbed wire tonight. Accordingly laid rifle machine to sweep & pick off a few. At 1700 went down slope and saw a body uncovered but dumping spoils tomorrow will conceal. Had look at graves of officer and all his platoon. Some little boards only had "Identity unknown" climbed up for the exercise & found padre looking pale yarned for a while and then round via Dressing station home.
At 1600 took long periscope up to observation post and had a good at the pleasing landscape over the rear of the Jolly. Rum sauce & plum duff for tea. Censors tales. One man writing to donors newspaper tobacco fund said "Thanks for your gift which was much appreciated. Of course when divided up each mans share was necessarily small but we trust the fountain of your generosity is not yet dried up". Another by diligent reading discovers the Kaiser to be the Beast of the Revelation & dilates thereon at great length. The letters to Doll &to the romance of the Candles also spring to mind.
Great scenes at beach biscuit & bully afloat piers being bashed about, transport wagons being carried out to sea about 500 men working to shift stuff and generally a scene of merry hell. Artillery nearly inactive the last two days pointing to (1) shortage of ammunition (2) 'saving up' to give us one crowded day as previously. 1900 raining & slippery, bags fell from wall of office. Torrential rain set in being at its heaviest at 1930 at which hour Abdul sent up two flares and commenced heavy fire with rifle mg & bombs so some of the coys. had to stand to arms The whole place was soon a flood, the water streaming past the Regtl. office like a waterfall the interior was soon an inch or two deep. In my dugout it was beautifully dry inside but