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[Page 93]
our stay in the pill box we were told was to last forty eight hours so during the afternoon of the 15th every one started to pack up for the relief was expected shortly after dusk. As the afternoon wore on the rain started to fall very heavy which of course immediately thawed the ground causing it to become as sodden as before the freeze set in. Several hours elapsed after a day before the relief arrived & when the first of them did arrive I was instructed to take a small party out with order to remain at the Brigade gum boot store to keep a tally of the boots which the boys were to hand in as they passed. It was raining very heavy when I started with my party and on leaving the pill box I found that the track had been washed away which made the job of finding the front line on the right very difficult for the night was extremely dark. However after waiting to get my bearings by means of my prismatic compass I set out finally reaching the front line after ploughing about through mud & shell holes with my party intact. From the front line we proceeded down the communication trench which I found had fallen in, in several places, the mud in these places being nearly hip deep which meant pulling one another through it for it was the only passageway out. I eventually arrived at the gum boot store with the party whom I instructed to leave their boots (rubber) then make their way to the village of Wytschaete to find the remainder of the company. I waited at the boot store until very early in the morning when up till that time only half the men who were in the pill box had arrived so I decided to make my way to try to find the battalion. After wandering about on my own looking for the unit I gave it up until daylight so I turned in for a sleep in a big dug out with a platoon of the 4th battalion. I was aroused about 7 AM that morning by a 4th battalion Sergeant who was surprised to find me in the dug out for I had not reported to any one when I went there early that morning but of course I was informed I was welcome under the circs.
[Image includes a hand drawn sketch showing the Australian and German positions around the village of Wytschaete during January 1918]