Lewis war diary, August 1917-March 1919 / James Ray Lewis - Page 71
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[Page 71]
the country is flat and open down country Practically all the country here is cultivated except for the woods. It is a shame to see the beautiful wheat crops all tramped up and knocked down by horses and limbers trenches dug through them and barb wire erected over them. Orchards all full of shellholes and broken trees & beautiful horses dead in dozens. War is a hellish waste.
We went up to supports through Warloy to Hangard. These supports were in an old 1915 trench, it had about 2 inches of mud in the bottom, and was not a very cheerful place.
We dug a pozzy in the side and I went out at night and helped to get some Iron to cover it, from some old dugouts. We could get no straw which is always a source of great comfort, so we lay down on our rubber sheets, and got cramps and pins and needles in my toes.
Except for on the bombardment of the village of Hangard, in the hollow all is quiet through the day. It is funny to watch the shells bursting around Hangard, one can see the shell bursting like a great black cloud, and at the same time hear