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[Page 92]
We remained in this support line for three days then just after dark on the 5th the company was taken to the front line again taking up exactly the same positions as the last time in. During the night of the 6th I was put in charge of another wiring party in no mans land where after a few minutes work in the bright moonlight Fritz stopped our work with a few bursts of machine gun fire. I made several attempts to carry on with the job but on each occasion the Huns opened out so we were compelled to abandoned the work for that night so as to avoid any unnecessary casualties. The following night our company was relieved by another company our our own battalion when we moved back to reserves being put into a well made trench & I also had half of my platoon in two old german pill boxes just in rear of the trench. From here we had to do front line ration fatigue which meant carrying rations from the end of the communication trench to the front line just after dark of a night & early morning. The rations were brought up to the communications trench by the battalion transport the stew & tea being in big containers & the bread & dry rations in sand bags for the rations were made up by the Company Quartermaster Sergeant at the transport line about four miles to the rear where the food was also cooked. The containers which were used for stew & tea or any other cooked foods were an excellent idea for they would keep their contents hot for about three hours during the coldest of weathers. our stay in the reserves lasted several days but during the 13th January I was detailed with a party to go into the front line again that night. During that same afternoon the front line party were all issued with a pair of long rubber boots or known as gum boots which went up to the hips, to wear whilst in the front line for the ground was expected to thaw at any time which meant that the rain would set in this meaning plenty of mud again. The party moved off at dusk & on arriving at the front line we were taken to the extreme left of our battalion front to a huge pill box called "Wall Farm" where we relieved a party of the 2nd Battalion who were then holding the pill box. This place was practically isolated but considered to be of extreme importance, all hands being warned that in the event of an attack it was to be held at all costs. The pillbox itself was a huge structure with two entrances which comfortably accommodated fifty of our company including three machine gun crews. At dusk men were put outside the pill box in shell holes so as to give warning of any approaching enemy these men being withdrawn at daylight. During the day a sentry was posted at each entrance of the pill box inside so as to give necessary warning by day. I was detailed with a corporal as a permanent night patrol the duty being to keep up constant communication with the 2nd Battalion right flank post about two to three hundred yards away to our left. These patrols were carried out every hour my corporal & I going to the 2nd Battalion one hour & they coming to our position the next thus establishing communication every hour. This proved a very tedious job for the ground was still snow covered with a bright moon shining which made our dark figures visible for some considerable distance. During several patrols we were trouble by the enemy machine guns which kept us ducking from one shell hole to another until the journey either way was completed. On one occasion an enemy patrol about twenty strong tried to surround my mate & I but after about an hours head work we managed to elude them for they were too strong so decided to make ourselves scarce. On arriving back at the pill box I immediately reported the occurance so our fighting patrol consisting of one officer & twelve other ranks went out but after searching no mans land for some time returned to the pill box without having seen a hun.