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[Page 86]
It was up about this part of the front that I first saw the Hun's much noted "Pill Boxes" which were made of reinforced concrete being massive structures of considerable strength. They were of different sizes being mostly used for machine guns, the inside being very comfortable, fitted out with wire bunks for the occupants to sleep in & it would need several direct shell hits to do the inmates any damage. These things were built to take the place of big underground dugs outs on the Somme for the ground here was of a boggy nature which prevented any & consequence all the water in the shell holes had been turned green with the poison orders being issued forbidding all hands against drinking or washing in water in any of the shell holes in this area. We occupied this position for four days & taking into consideration the conditions we were compelled to live under the troops had an exceptionally good time. During the early hours of the night of the 8th of November our company moved forward to close supports near the Passchaendale Road slightly to the right of that town where we releived the 2nd Battalion. It was during this relief that I experienced the biggest bungle whilst on service but on considering the position & the conditions it could not very well have been prevented. When our company moved off from Second supports my platoon was the last platoon in the company & I was detailed to bring up the rear of my platoon thus being the last man in the company during the move. After we had gone some distance we found that the Canadians who were on our left were also releiving & both parties, through having to use the same track for some distance, became mixed up considerably for the night was as black as pitch. Me being last in the company I soon became cut off from my platoon & found myself wandering about following other troops whom I did not know for a while then decided to strike out on my own to try and find the company. I had not gone very far when I discovered our "B Company who were going into relieve the front line so I decided to go with them in preference to wandering about on my own. From this on the experiences were strenuous for the officer in charge of B. Company lost his way then started wandering about in the hopes of locating some one who may be able to direct him. It was during this wandering I experienced one of the worst nights in my life for every few yards we went I fell into unseen shell holes, got tangled up in wire, fell over stumps of trees, for the night was that dark that anyone could not see more than a yard in front. We eventually found the front line Company Headquarters which was situated in a cutting of a railway line where I received my bearing also being told which direction to take to find my company in supports. After wandering about in the dark & mud for about an hour & a half I succeeded in finding the company then rejoined my platoon when I discovered that several of my men were missing evidently been lost during the change over. The company was put into an old dilapidated trench which meant that all hands had to set to, to try & make it habitable also make themselves shelters of some kind for there was not a dug out in the trench. The walls of the trench were all fallen in & it was by no means an easy job to try & make the trench shell proof for the earth was absolutely sodden.