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[Page 54]
The dug outs in this position had all fallen in so everyone had to set to & make themselves shelters for it could be seen that rain was not too far off. My mate & I built what looked to be a nice little home in an old gun pit which proved to be comfortable for that night for we succeeded in having the best nights rest for some days past. There was nothing for us to do the next morning so the troops had a good wander about having a look over the ground which had been captured since our turn at Pozieres. I busied myself in inspecting an old sugar mill which the Huns had made a good job of while it was in his hands for all the brass & copper fittings also the copper tubes from the boilers and machinery had been removed also recking the building practically beyond repair. Just in rear of our position was Tones Wood in which had been an Old german Headquarters which was being used by our battalion as their Headquarters for the place was still intact. There was also two big german guns in the wood which had been turned on their back by our artillery prior to the wood being captured & they were considerably knocked about. our luck did not last long for that night it started to rain heavy & before midnight most of the troops self included were wandering about wet through looking for dryer possies for the rain had swamped most of us out. The rain had eased off by daylight & when the sun managed to get a look in, it was a very sick, sore & sorry mob it teamed down upon. With a considerable amount of trouble my mate & I managed to make our dug out water tight by smearing mud over the top then lighted a huge fire inside to dry it out. This completed we made a floor of three inch shell cases which proved an excellent idea for we were once more at home being able to laugh at the rain. While in this place I saw a 15inch Howitzer in action which fired a shell four feet six inches long, weighing 14 cwts, costing £ 400 to make & the shell could be watched, during its flight after being fired, from behind the Gun. On the 1st of November orders were received to get all gear ready to move forward which we did during the later part of the afternoon. The battalion moved in small parties of about twenty men each with big intervals between parties which proved awkward for on reaching Delville wood we found that other battalions were moving in the same direction as us at the same time it being a job to keep in touch with your own unit. I was leading my platoon & about dusk lost sight of the party in front which made things awkward for I had not had any definite instructions as to where the position we were going to relieve lay, so it was a case of plodding along in the mud which was knee deep in the hopes of finding some one who may be able to direct me. However my direction proved to be correct for after going what I considered to be far enough I halted the platoon telling them to sit down until I had a look round. On going about two hundred yards I fell over an embankment of a sunken road, which I was unable to see for it was pitch dark, & when I hit bottom found I was over my waist in mud, at the same time hearing a chap sing our "Hullo another Doll over", but he came to my rescue & pulled me out. That incident however was soon forgotten for I found that I had almost fallen into our battalion headquarters where I explained my situation having a runner sent back with me to guide the platoon into a reserve trench. That night "C & D" companies of our battalion had gone into the front line whilst A & B companies stayed in reserves & the whole place was in a frightful state for it was simply one big sea of mud. The reserve trench was situated slightly to the west of the village of Flers it being at this place that the British Tanks were first used in action by Imperia troops and several of these big iron monsters were lying about where they had been put out of action, or fallen into big trenches