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[Page 136]
through with casualties to D'Aours C,C,S testify. There are a good few American troops about, and to see their full strong battalions marching past gives us hope; our battalions are terribly weak. Between us and the river is a swamp in which we washed mostly, and in the opposite direction the valley rises to the uplands. Up the sides of the valley, run the white chalk roads deep in dust for it hasnt rained, since the 8th of August and the grass is going brown. We fumigated some blankets one day at the D,A,D,C,S, and while we were at work some Fritz prisoners came by, they had just been captured by the 3rd divvy. New tactics being employed, when a strong position was struck the wings swung around it and they were thus caught in a salient and starved out. 3,000 were captured this way and they weren't hungry either, they rushed the bully beef that was intended for their dinner, and I saw the "Jack" in charge vainly endeavouring to beat them away, with the flat of his sword. They do look funny, some of these Fritz prisoners, with their horn spectacles and bushy eyebrows.
We were called together again, and told we were in for another stunt our objective was Peronne, and it was miles behind his lines then, but we had to reach it that was all.
I might just say a little of 2 Padres of the 5th Brigade Father Clune of the 19th R,G, and Chaplain Tugwell of the 17th Anglican, both did their best for the men. Clune had been wounded once he was a venerable man and wore a beard. During a stunt Tugwell was always working hard at the dressing station and after, he always appeared on the scene with some cigarettes for the men. If they're preaching anywhere near Aussie go and hear them no