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[Page 32]
opening out with his artillery using guns of every calibre & it was not long after the barrage started that it reached a terrific height the heavens seeming to just open & pour shells down upon our boys but they were determined to hang on to the position. At dusk when tea arrived there was still no signs of the huns artillery stopping & orders were received to hasten & get the meal over as our company was to go back to the front line as the company's holding that trench had suffered fairly heavy casualties. Before the company moved off I was detailed with several other men to take the empty "Dixies" back which the tea had been brought up in there being two men to each "Dixie". This job I knew was by no means a good one for it meant moving about in the open & to make matters worse I was told to remain on the duty till further orders. Just prior to the company moving off my mate & self set off with our dixie to the battalion cookers which we were told were situated in Bucourt wood some three miles to the rear. We had not proceeded many yards when I realized that there was a very warm time in store for us for the enemy's shells were falling fast & furious, so we lost no time, making good use of all available cover, until passing Casualty Corner where we stopped for a much needed rest. Casualty Corner was at the end of an embankment through which a road had been cut, it being so called owing to the number of casualties which had been caused there. it was very popular dumping ground for the Huns shells & being practically the entrance to all tracks leading to our part of the line, there was always a large number of troops moving about in the vicinity of the corner. About two hundred yards further up the road was the main dressing station it being near here that we enjoyed our spell for the road at that particular place afforded fairly decent cover from the shells which were still falling in equal numbers with those experienced near the front line.
[The image includes a hand draw sketch of the front line and trench system near the village of Pozieres]