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[Page 11]
October 1
Dickebusch-Ypres
Chateau Segam
3.
Yesterday at midday from Steenwoorde marched from billet through town, to fields two miles the other side, a march in all of about three and a half miles. Then enbuss'd behind the 8th Batt., to within two kilos of Dickebusch. Then another march of about 5 or 6 kilos to our home of this minute.
C. Section up last night at 9, shortly after our arrival – then B up this morning at 5 a.m.
The marching part of journey up over dust deep roads – cobbles under the heavy layers. The second marching along roads heavy with lorries, working parties, staff cars, ambulances and the chattels of war.
The stream up and down only progressed at a slow walking, and coming down between two mounted parties, four carrying shoulder high a stretcher, and two following behind. In the haze of dust and of evening it was a symbol of the day.
All night long about here he bombed, heavily and at intervals of short whiles, short whiles when only the occasional boom noise of a near big gun, then a rattle of machine guns, of sharp single rifle shots and then the hellish smashing crump of the bomb.
We are in an old still partly standing house in a wood, by terrible paraphernalia of war, and all through the wood and about he dropped his compacted hells, one landed clean 10 yds. alongside our 'room' – an upstairs apartment. It dropped by the side of one of the numerous ponds, penetrated deeply in the soft earth and exploded, the walls rocked like the walls of a ship striking fully a heavy sea, again at three this morning this happened twice.
Sleep was nightmarish.
From early we've been heavily bombarding, heavy close drum fire of thousands of guns. Yesterday morning early we heard below the carrying sounds of the guns, and it lasted till midday.
We're waiting and with no knowing of when we're going up, here we have relieved the 14th – our sister Ambulance. Then only here the rendezvous.
We passed coming here last night, bivouacked in an open field, the 8th Battalion. We had semi-proof walls about us. They nothing.
Word was about last night of Peter Mac having lost three fingers, and Hank, being slightly knocked, bombs over Pop., [Poperinghe] and they there without passes and after 11. They'll be S.I.