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[Page 30]
owing to the fear of a counter attack we were forced to allow them to escape. During Sunday (23rd) morning we were harassed a good deal by snipers but made up for this by plenty of good shooting at the Germans dodging about among the ruins. Included among the booty captured were two 9 inch siege guns & a couple of field pieces. The ground taken was to a depth of 750 yards on a front of 1 ½ miles which included the Germans first, second & third lines of defences. We suffered heavy casualties but these were more than paid for in German blood & prisoners.
Monday 24th the German artillery gave us particular hell in the advanced position. All throughout the day we lay cramped in the narrow trenches while the high explosive & shrapnel tore away our parapets or peppered the shell from the ground. To complete the day they sent over a lachrymatory shell. The gas having the usual severity on the eyes.
Early on Tuesday 25th the 4th Battalion attacked the new German line their bombers either killing or taking prisoner all Germans who did not succeed in escaping. This completed the final act of taking Poziers which had so long defied the attempts of our army. Included among the captures were six machine guns & a field battery.
Throughout the day the German heavy guns levelled our trenches completely with the ground further extending operations later on our position in the newly captured lines. We lost very heavily during this bombardment & when we our battalion massed in the old German fort in the rear of our lines we numbered about 1/5 of strength of six days before. Of these casualties 400 were wounded & the remainder killed or missing. We got safely out on the