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[Page 43]
cold, frost & fogs.
We remained at Ribemont until about the 8th when we shifted to Melbourne Camp in the vicinity of Fricourt. The weather continued wet & cold & a light fall of snow was experienced 19th we again moved up to a camp near Longueval. The usual & knee deep mud was on this occasion frozen hard as iron & while one was able to keep food dry the cold accentuated by a light fall of snow was intensive. Rain again set in on the 20th so that when we moved from the line (near Geudecourt on the 22nd mud & slush were again the prevailing elements. Fritz gave us a warm reception shelling us the whole way in & when we finally reached the supports at Bull Run the German artillery kept up a lively barrage through out the night.
On Xmas Eve we went up to relieve No 1 Gun in the front line 2.30 P.M. We were in safely & with all fairly quiet. Stan to 4.30 everyone agreed it was the quietest Xmas Eve they had ever experienced. All were of a very different opinion when about 8.30 German artillery opened with fury on our lines. A bombardment of quite Pozieres like violence was carried out for about 20 minutes & as we crouched low in the mud our opinion on quiet Xmas Eves changed. Rain set in on Xmas morning & when day dawned & showed a very sorry group in a water logged trench. Rum rations did not serve to rouse the sagging spirits. Cold feet (properly cold) take a lot of rum to eliminate. Soupy like warm tea arrived at about 8. The morning was filled