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[Page 95]
other trees in the vicinity. The Major of the battalion had the tree pulled down for it was built of steel sections, then packed in big cases & was supposed to have been sent home to "Aussie" as an exhibit for the War Museum. On the 25th the company Quarter Master Sergeant was granted his leave to Paris & I was instructed to report to Company headquarters to act in his place while he was away. These new duties which were handed over to me were strange for I have never had anything to do in that way previously but however I decided to do my best & see it through. The following night the company moved forward to relieve the front line but I had to stay in supports in a big gully called the Ravine where I had a very comfortable dug out. The battalion cooks were also quartered in the ravine where all the cooking of meals was done for the troops in the front line & supports & the cooking was done by day & night for the front line was some distance away. My duties whilst here were to go to Clarkes dump about two miles to the rear at dusk each day to receive the rations which were brought up to there by the battalion transport. At the dump the rations for the company were put onto trucks belonging to the light railway then push by fatigue parties up to the cook house in the Ravine. From the ravine the rations had to be carried up to the front line by other fatigue parties supplied by the company in supports. The rations consisted of Bread, jam etc, stew & tea of a night then porridge, bacon & tea during the early hours of the morning before daylight for it could not be done during the day & each platoon had its rations made up separately by the company storeman who was stationed at the transport lines. Whilst up in the front line with the ration party of a night I managed to have a good look round also paying my platoon a visit each time up to see how they were getting on. The enemy up about these parts was mostly sheltered in pill boxes the largest of these being called the Elephant also two others being built very close together called the Twins. Our heavy trench mortar batteries put in some good work on these enemy pill boxes for several were blown down while others were so knocked about the enemy had to vacate them. During one day here two of our aeroplanes attacked one hun airman & through some error our two planes collided telescoping into each other causing our airmen to be killed, the two planes falling in no mans land while the Hun Airman escaped uninjured. The battalion occupied this part of the front until the night of the 30th with two companies in the front line & the other two in supports with these companies changing over from the front line to support & vice versa every twenty four hours each evening. During the early night of the 30th the battalion was relieved then march back to Ramilles Camp in Kemmel where all the troops were given a good hot meal before retiring for the night. The stay in this camp was very short for after the midday meal on the 31st of January the battalion was marched along the road about half a mile where we were put into motor lorries. These motors took the battalion to Meteren where our company was put into a big barn which provided very comfortable quarters for every man. The next morning on parade the company was told that it would remain there for some time training for the next turn in the forward area. This news pleased everyone for the village of Meteren was only a quarter of a mile away & was rather a very decent village where the boys could have a real good time during their spare time after parade of a day. The company Quarter Master Sergeant returned from leave on the 7th of March which meant I had to return to take charge of my platoon once more. The training indulged in was of a very mild nature there