Lewis war diary, August 1917-March 1919 / James Ray Lewis - Page 123

[Page 123]

been plowed up by the first shower of H,C, that had fallen and  there was an odd dead german in them. German stretcher bearers were carrying our and their wounded back and men who had got a "blighty" were coming back. We branched off the road and went through a small gully in either side of which Fritz had some "possies". We dodged some of his shells which were firing almost direct, and on top of a rise our company was just beginning to dig in. Soon we were starting to dig in and the 60 pounders started to fall we were too early. Our Captain glanced at his watch. Get behind this bank men, it'll rise in a few minutes. There was a road sunk into the side of the rise. So we got behind it and waited. Some Fritz 5.1s in front were firing across in an erratic manner. Suddenly there was a crash about 30 yds up the bank, and a piece of cloth flicked down at my feet the edges were smoking.I looked along the bank and there was an awful sight. 4 men were smashed up & a good few wounded. Dixon had his head blown off at his chest and vanished. Sheilds head was split open like an eggshell and the brains were scattered everywhere. Saundercock was only a perforated mass of meat. 2 others died back at the C,C,S, It is funny how HC perforates the flesh in a close burst. Steele just lived a moment and flickered out. One of our