Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 47]
it through a telescope - it's only a mile or so away and I could see very plainly the huge gaping rents in the church roof. four Hun (planes came near to see the damage but got such a reception they ducked and dived to escape being hit; bobbing like dinghies after a liner has passed. All known and unknown curses on them!
Bois d'Escardonneuse 16/7/18.
Yesterday evening I got on with my picture and hope it will end as well as it has begun. We yarned a bit after dinner and then I turned in, fairly early. After reading a little, some Jerry 'planes came over and as usual out went the candles. The guns were fairly active, some of them being of a particularly noisy type and I couldn't sleep. It was a lovely clear night, but at last it began to cloud up a bit and out of one a schweinhund darted. They got the searchlight on him, but the guns did no good. I fell asleep but woke to a terrific bombardment. It proved to be thunder and guns.
The rain came down in a deluge and kept up till this morning. After breakfast I arranged for 3 new stretchers 4x3 and will get the first .tomorrow. This morning it was misty and swelteringly hot and I did a portrait and by the feeling in my head I think there'll be another storm this evening.
France, 17/7/18.
Yesterday was a blank for work. There was nothing exciting except listening to the barrage that was intended to non-plus the French, but which, as you know (a day before we do) took a disastrous turn for Jerry. The Americans also did splendidly and we are informed, unofficially, they inflicted mostly fatal casualties on the hellhounds, when they weren't taking prisoners. All the morning, pending the arrival of my stretcher, I devoted to portrait sketching, with slightly better results than yesterday. After noon an orderly arrived with a stretcher and for lack of pliers I stretched a canvas on it with my fingers with calamitous results to my knuckles. I regret that I took any notice of the clever people who told me that it was impracticable to take with me for use this and that tool of trade. In future, if I can have my way, I'm going to work on