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[Page 100]
22/6/16
They were all torn about with the afternoon shelling. Went along to where patrol was going out and found one of the scouts had gone right out in front by himself – quite drunk. Put him under close arrest and took his bombs away. Dressed myself in English private's clothes and wore a muslin mask: Sent one patrol out White "B" Co. blown about by bomb and passed me on his stretcher very bad. Had some supper. Got to bed 2.30 am.
23/6/16
Up at 8. Busy again. At night went out on patrol into No Mans Land to select lie positions. Masked and blackened faces, they carried knob kerry. Left our trenches and crawled along ditches through wire and then across country. The long grass swishing under foot.
We remained frozen as their flares went up and were soon soaked through. with falling among the wet grass. Carried on for about 200' sheltering in shell holes and then reached a creek. Could hear their men repairing wire entanglement 70' in front coughing & talking. One of their patrols nearly walked on top of us and we spent an anxious time flattened to the earth, the swish of rain in the grass caused a thousand alarming noises.
Flares kept shooting overhead and an occasional bullet. Whispers -hisses formed our signals – this little strip of earth is a Land of Death. Returned to our lines and soon the artillery and trench mortars pasted hell into the trenches and wire we had just reconnoitred. The wire party must have been blown to pieces.
A thick bank of fog, the smoke from the explosions obscured all in front. Vivid blasts of flames showed up certain points we wished to observe. Their retaliation soon commenced and all crouched close to the wall of the parapet. We were all within an inch of death a number of times.
The battalion escaped with 3 dead and 2 wounded. Bill Blackley was killed today – a good honest Australian lad of [indecipherable] was one. Covered with mud & wet to the skin. Turned in at 2.30 for a few hours sleep.