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[Page 49]
Fleurbaix
24/4/16
Supervised the work of fatigue parties all night up until 3 am. A dreadfully tedious business. The work consisted of working in the most filthy muddy trenches revetting sand bagging and building the reserve trench parapets. The light was not bad and flares from the German firing line silhouetted the figures of our men in the working parties and from behind their lines came a red glow from one of their billets set on fire by our shells today. Within a hundred yards or so of the front line the work was of a dangerous nature as we were out in front of the parapet and exposed all the time. Bullets whistled overhead and some kicked up the earth unpleasantly close but no one was hit. Our machine guns were firing over our heads and the not unpleasant smell of the burnt cordite was very insistent. Slipping through mud and splashing through deep water over floating duckboards was rotten especially as many of the men's boots are in a deplorable state.
We could see someone in rear of enemy lines signalling and someone near the village responding. About midnight it became very much colder and correspondingly miserable. The fellows worked very well and hard calling themselves the "Sigheaders" because carrying baskets of earth like the Egyptians. Each little spell they got down under cover and stole 40 winks. Tired and wet, in mud and water, one could not help cursing the folly of the war and wishing to God it had come to an honourable end. To add to the joy of these fatigues it is often wet, and casualties also often occur.
Knocked off at 3 am and plugged off home going through Gunnes Walk – every now and then some tired chap would slip off a duck board & souse up past the knees in slush letting loose shocking profanity – the language is filthy in the extreme. Even at this early hour (3.15) dawn had commenced and the skylarks were aloft singing their exquisite morning carol.
Returned to billet and gave all hands a stiff nip of neat rum and then, removing muddy garments turned in for a couple of hours sleep. Awakened by batman with shaving water at 7 just in time to witness a heavy bombardment of our aeroplanes, hundreds of shell bursts flecking the sky. After breakfast inspected billets and all the morning our planes were aloft in couples and the enemy fired thousands of pounds worth of shells at them all to no purpose. They have taken to even sailing in the air under fake colours and using our marks so our chaps go up in couples and seem to have them bluffed. It is rarely we see a Taube & then they sail so high as to not be able to see much.
After lunch the same intrepid airman whom the men have now named the "Mad Major" kept deliberately flying above the enemy anti-aircraft batteries and drawing there fire. They could not hit him but some of the shells went very close. However he dodged them in a most marvellous manner. They were firing H.E. at him and pieces of shell fell all round here. Very quite afternoon. Went up the village and saw two dogs about collie size pulling a loaded cart with a youth on top.
Got a few reinforcements today. Party away all day unloading a coal barge on the LYS and another crowd had a bath this morning at Erquinchem. All the rest work tonight up in the reserve trench. People of the house removing all there furniture tonight.
Quiet night.