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[Page 63]
on fatigue work so had to make my way there. However it was not long before I was back among my boys again who were comfortably quartered in big huts called Highwood East Camp. The duties here consisted of pushing rations & gear for dug outs to the front line on the Light Railway which was not a very strenuous duty for it only meant about four hours work a day. The stay here did not last long for late in the afternoon of January 31st orders were issued for the platoon to move up to Cough Drop siding, an engineers dump, for duties to the front line. The track from Highwood East to Cough drop was along a double row of duck boards & half way along this track was a grave with a big white wood head cross bearing exactly the same Rank, regimental number, initials & name as myself which haunted me for I had to pass it on several occasions but this man belonged to the 20th Battalion A.I.F. The duties while at Cough Drop were to carry gear from the dump to advance company headquarters where the miners were making a big under ground dug out to be used for supports also gear for making saps out to outposts. These duties were extremely strenuous for it meant carrying very heavy timber about a mile & a half over frozen ground making the walking very slippery for the ground was like glass & on many occasions Fritz shelled the track but luckily our platoon suffered no casualties. During one of these fatigues the boys had to carry sheets of galvanized iron which made a fair amount of noise & when just in rear of the front line the enemy opened out on the party with machine guns which caused sheets of iron to be thrown in all directions for all had to take cover but after a while the journey was continued uninterrupted. During the afternoon of the 4th the platoon moved back to Highwood but I received orders to report to company headquarters where I was instructed to go to an old German Dug out just in rear of supports & remain there for that night & the following day. During the night of the 5th I was given charge of six men then sent to the front line to relieve a post there called No 23 which was situated on the right flank of the company. The front line was a very delapitated trench about shoulder high & I received instruction that communication had to be kept with "C" Company on the right this having to be done by patrolling about fifty yard every hour, my post having to do it one hour & "C" company left flank post the next this having to be maintain throughout the night. These patrols were carried out along the front line which at that time was unoccupied for the distance between the two companies. The weather was bitterly cold while occupying the front line for the troops were exposed to all weathers but we used to get hot stew & tea just after dark, rum issue at midnight, then hot tea for breakfast about 4 AM in the mornings. The enemy was very quiet at this place & could be seen moving about during the night for the snow was thick on the ground with the moon shining brightly but no notice was taken of him for owing to our trench being practically unfit for warfare we also remained quiet uninterfered with by Fritz. It was impossible to carry on with trench digging, barb wiring & general consolidation for the ground was frozen as hard as blue metal so it only meant strict garrison duty for the front line trenches we only about seventy five yards apart. One night a hun became too familiar for he mounted their parapet & started to work on top with a pick right in front of my parapet. I thought that was too hot so I fired at him but evidently missed for he took his time & got down into the trench but shortly afterwards resumed the same duties so I fired again this time finding the mark for he lurched & fell forward into the trench.