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[Page 65]
up to what is known as the advanced base, so my guardian angel isn't about for me to appeal to. Headquarters has been here before and on that occasion a shell hit the clock tower of a lodge at the gate entrance. The lodge was in use at the time as the sergeants' mess and several of them were killed. The tower is lopsided and battered but manages to keep from falling down. They bomb a lot over here and last night hummed and buzzed round for a considerable time. Just opposite the chateau woods is a little wood and two tanks there give me a good chance to make a close study of them. Straight out of the chateau gates one looks along an avenue of lovely tall beeches, and half way along it, the arch of a railway bridge cuts it in half. Between the trees that form this avenue are piles and piles of boxes of ammunition. Our ammunition column boys, bare to the waist, load up the limbers like bakers packing a delivery cart, and they do it well, in two movements, one to the stack of shells and one to the limber, with a fine, statuesque swing and rhythm. There is a continuous procession of rattling wagons of every military description along this road, though it's only a branch of the great Amiens road which is ¾ of a mile south of here. They use this one to divert the traffic and relieve congestion. Some French poilus were busy last night digging a cutting for a switch line of the railway. As soon as they had gone down a few feet they had painted canvas - a great area of it — over their work and a relief has been working on the cutting all day - under cover. From above no one would know the ground was disturbed.
FRANCE
BLANGY TROUVILLE, 6/8/18._
No news. I took a walk up the line to see my Colonel this morning. He showed me a letter from A.I.F. Headquarters calling for my work, to see if, on the strength of it, I was to get my com. He was as usual, sympathetic and said they couldn't expect much for the short time and in the circs. "Anyhow", he said, "we'll fight 'em." He at once rang up H.Q. and ordered a room for me and I am going to get as busy as I can, so as to finish a few more sketches, though this hurry up is the worst thing for work. Apart from the let down it