Lewis war diary, August 1917-March 1919 / James Ray Lewis - Page 54
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[Page 54]
feet of the mark everytime. I had a look at the old Roman camp on the hill. It consists of a high bank of earth and enclosed thrown up from the outside, so as to form a ditch on the outer side. The bank enclosed eleven acres of ground and I suppose was originally much higher than at present.
That bank was built nearly 2,000 years ago and today we are engaged in a fierce and bloody war bigger, fiercer, and more bloody than any of of the Romans knew, 2,000 years of civilisation, and are we better than the ancients, yes we have better weapons for mangling, murdering, and tearing limb from limb, we are better certainly, we make it that hot for one another we have to tunnel in the ground like moles at times.
Wednesday is paynight in the camps here; 30/- a fortnight is drawn and with many a few days suffice to clean them out and then they "hum" and "cadge" fags for the rest of the week. I hate paynight, one no sooner gets into bed than a party of the boozers return from the canteen and start dancing round the room throwing forms about and kicking up a row so that sleep is impossible. Then later on a couple more return, and start playing