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[Page 8]
all dangerous looking localities. Seemed a good few german dead about and a lot of our boys badly blown about although right through our casualties were light.
Home over Warrington Road route and caught an ammunition limber a fair distance and home very tired. Our section no casualties but Corp Sullivan, Jones, Clements, & Wickins and Beard and several others of the other sections. Dunn & Currie killed.
25.9.17
Mono Rail given up as hopeless and we all thoroughly disgusted. New job putting in light railway on right of top of Menin Road. Woke at 3.30 and out at 4 on three pontoons. All fair till we got to Menin Road at Hell Fire Corner. Just at 5 o'clock and beginning to get light.
There was a big convoy of motor lorries at the head of the road and Fritz had two balloons up directly in front who were observing for the heavies. He sent over an incendiary shell which burst in among them and started a fire and he then poured in heavy H.E all along the road dumps of timber and shell were flying everywhere and we only had a few shell holes for shelter and I with some others was behind a low breastwork about 2 ft deep. The pontoons were sent back.
The heavy shelling was most intense but we managed to move up a bit closer to an old trench very shallow but better although the men were very scattered. Going across I got a hard smack under the left shoulder blade but didn't penetrate & while in there Sgt Walsh got one just below the neck which stirred him up a lot. All the available drivers were with us and we cowered here for some time only occasionally getting a glance over.
It was an awful sight and the motor lorries were set on fire one by one & all the while dumps were going up and wood flying. Two traction engines were hit and abandoned above us. german planes came over in groups of 12 and observed. We then shifted to a deeper trench in good condition and felt