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[Page 9]
safer there. M. Graham was continually advising Mr. Price to abandon the job but he wouldn't listen and together they went up and inspected it. Soon afterwards we all went up although a lot got lost and were never on the job. The pioneers were working just ahead for a while but soon got shelled out.
Very hot working in open with splinters flying every and two big apparent duds came over but proved to be gas which was green and dangerous looking. Luckily we were on windward side. A shell burst about 30 yards off and we got the order to retire then at 5 to 12. It seemed useless work packing soft earth under the sleepers.
It was an awful sight seeing a shell burst and men going up some with their legs blown off and wounded were plentiful and couldn't be helped. A gun fell on one and he was in agony. Another shell blew a man to atoms and pieces of flesh fell over us quite close. I took a circuitous route home followed by about 10 others via Warrington Road and everywhere damage was done.
Our guns were powerless to reply. At Shrapnel Corner H. E had been sent over and 6 horses killed and all along men were lying about scattered very thinly. I heard of one corporals guns 3 out of a battery were out of action and of 9.2 howitzers & another 5 out of 6 field guns gone & 16 men left out of sixty. It looked as if half the guns had been destroyed at least in our sector and the front lines seemed to have had their share of bombardment.
Home by a couple of rides and rested the remainder of the day. One big shell came over close to some of and wounded cpls Moloney & MacKenzie fairly badly and later Avery led a party into a barrage and Charlie Day was wounded seriously. We were lucky in having so few casualties Savage & Martier were up for a while but soon retired.
Next day the 5th Div seemed had a stunt and succeeded in their objective and it is wonderful how the guns were sufficient and reorganised. Numerous prisoners came down and I counted 50 past here. This is as correct as I could form a judgment from our part in the affair. Other 2 sections couldn't get out although Bremner & Kernot went out and were missing for 6 hours as
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they couldn't get back.