Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 50]
the scenery. On each side of the river at intervals rise are the villages, each dominated by the imposing steeples of a church. Beyond the brown winter fields lawns rise to the undulating wheat lands beyond. On the river pools we have had some good skating but the breath of spring in the air about the 20th Feb freed the ponds from the thrall of King Frost. We rested in T. until Tuesday 27th Feb when we got orders to return to the Bn Marching to Longpre we entrained & reached Albert at about 6.30.
Owing to the withdrawal of the German foxes the cannonading had dropped far to the north, & when on the following morning (28th) we marched to Bazentin Camp we could see the effect of his retreat.
Rumour was naturally plentiful but the nearest we could get to news was that at Laucourt L'Abbaye where our battalion had been holding the line we had as yet fallen back advanced about 3 miles, meeting with little resistance. The Germans have retracted much further than this but our troops have to be exceedingly careful so that the advance is slow
1st March we set out for our position in reserve – Switch Trench lying between Fleurs & Laucourt L'Abbays, but nearer the latter. A few shells were dropped about wildly by the enemy whose planes, although there was great movement of troops seems unable to direct his fire. He was also dropping shrapnel along the Gravelliers -Baupaume Road, which when last we left the position was safe territory practically for his [indecipherable] .