Item 04: Herbert Henry Harris diary, 1 August 1917-31 May 1918 - Page 148
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[Page 148]
it, first sleep for 3 nights. He just put 3 silent shells near us its a strain on the nerves the sudden explosion & not hearing the shell coming. Have to screw up your courage to go out to the W.C. deferred Pay. £46-2-0 Owe. £1-18-7.
wrote to Syd.
Saturday 23/3/18
lovely morning & splendid night plenty of gun fire again but fritz left us alone so had a decent sleep. 2nd in more than a week. great rumours about fritz coming over at Bullecourt & getting driven out again 20 divisions & Tanks so they say he came over with must have been awful slaughter. Thank goodness he's taken that naval squirt away so does not annoy us as he did. sun very hot to day. deferred Pay. £46-3-6 owe £1-16-7. Xmas Comforts funds came today nice little box from Newcastle cigs. Tobac. sardines chewing gum, Butter scotch, cocoa, cig Holder. Handkerchief. Bailleul being shelled 800 casualties yesterday & last night out of bounds to all Troops a shell every 4 minutes 10 soldiers & 30 civilians killed so far.
Sunday. 24/3/18
everywhere bustle getting ready to shift again evidently some truth in rumour at Bullecourt of 20,000 prisoners & 200 guns taken from us. another rumour we have taken 500,00 huns everyone excited, all leave stopped, some men brought back off the Boat as she was about to leave goodness knows when I'll get mine now dam these lawyers.
This front is much quieter now, must have been awful slaughter down there
he came up with 23 divisions against 3 divisions of ours, but it cost him 10 divisions in dead & wounded. lovely morning again quite