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[Page 28]
Eriquinghem
1/4/16
La Gorgue Estaires and Sailly are all fine towns and one notices the splendid sign posts which are erected at every business. The information they give is wonderful and of great assistance to the traveller. Pulled up at [Car Abac?] at the 31st Divisional headquarters and there met English officers. My job being to inquire into the method of getting supplies up to the trenches. I was met by a representative of the 101st Brigade, an officer of the Tyneside Section. He showed me a cigarette case a bullet had hit the night before going through his tunic pocket sideways. We rode about three miles out and transferred to another officer went to the camp of the transport sections about two miles behind the firing line. Here I met officers of the 15th & 16th Royal Scots and the 11th Suffolk and 10th Lincolns – very nice fellows.
Had lunch with them and inspected their transport park & animals and discussed their system of supply. They say this is a fairly portion of the line and the Germans do not worry much as long as we keep fairly quiet. Some shells land round the rear but all the houses and land are intact. I went later in the afternoon into Eriquingmem and went into a billet. A very comfortable upstairs bedroom, with snowy bed and good furniture overlooking a street.
I am writing this here two miles behind the firing line and would not know there was a war on. The corner house has been blown in a bit by a shell but otherwise life goes on as usual. The children are playing in the streets and people doing their daily work. The sound of an occasional gun is heard but no musketry perhaps after nightfall that will be heard.