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[Page 84]
our gear & was then marched to Dickie "Busch" Camp about two miles further to the rear. At the camp we received orders to prepare it for the battalion who were being relieved from the front line that night so things were soon busy in cleaning the huts, drawing blankets, & helping the cooks to prepare a meal for all hands. The first of the Battalion started to arrive about midnight the men being tired, wornout & covered in mud from head to foot for the front line conditions, I learned, were awful. When most of the boys had arrived in the camp a good hot meal was issued after which a well earned rest was enjoyed. The stay in this camp only lasted overnight for about noon next day the 9th the battalion packed up then marched about a mile where the troops were put into motor lorries. The lorries took us back through Poperinghe to a camp called Connaught lines where the troops were put into tents. There was very little to do in this camp but owing to the recent rain there was plenty of mud about which made things most uncomfortable for the boys had wet feet the whole of the time. The battalion remained in this camp until the 16th when during that morning we were marched about half a mile where the troops were put aboard motor lorries which took us back towards the front line. The ride terminated at "Chateau Belge", just in rear of Ypres & near a place called Belgium Battery corner, where the battalion was put into very comfortable huts. The stay in this camp lasted some time our duties being fatigue work on the light railways up about Anzac Ridge about a mile in rear of the front line. These duties proved to be very unpleasant for reveille was very early of a morning then after breakfast the troops were marched about half a mile to a light railway which took them to Menin Road on the eastern side of Ypres. From here the remainder of the journey was done along a duck board track to Anzac ridge where the work was usually carried out. The whole of this part of the front was under direct observation of the enemy's balloons with which he used to full advantage for there was hardly a day pass without our party being shelled with deadly accuracy. On several occasions during these shelling stunts the work was abandoned the party being sent home & we also suffered several casualties. During one of the shellings Fritz dropped a shell into an old disused gun pit setting a great quantity of cordite on fire near where my party was working. The cordite soon began to fiz burn furiously which caused the boys to scatter in all directions & it was funny to see all records being broken in getting out of the way for everyone expected to see the shells explode in the gun pit any moment. Although the happening may have proved serious it was treated as a joke causing a considerable amount of amusement for some time. The mud up about these parts was terrible for the ground was shell torn & sodden with recent heavy rains & it was marvellous to think that hostilities could be carried out with success under such adverse conditions. One on occasion when the troops were busy at work they were disturbed by a noise overhead & on looking up we could see about twenty Hun aeroplanes making straight for us, flying very low & when about five hundred yards away started to drop bombs which could be seen falling through the air. The boys immediately took cover in a drain on the side of the light railway & although the bombs fell all around us we suffered no casualties but it put the fear of God into every mans heart present. It was a terrible few minutes while it lasted for the bombs could be seen falling everyone appearing as though it was going to fall right on top of you & this combined with