Mercer papers, 9 December 1917-19 June 1919 / Harold Mercer - Page 101
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[Page 101]
Gap here April 14 – 23
[The following pages under this date cover a period of several days]
April 24th
There must remain a gap in this record which I am unable to fill, because I can't remember the days on which events occurred: the days have been a blur; and my platoon has been smashed with a shell, leaving myself & only five others. I fancy I must have got shocked a good bit by the explosion of the shell that did the damage, for I have felt a dazed feeling ever since, & no inclination to do anything but what I had to. Indeed we have been worked very hard, and when we have not been in the line we have been on fatigues, patrols, picquets etc.
I joined the Battalion from Marie Cappel, and had to spend nearly a whole day searching for it until I was absolutely wearied out with carrying my pack etc; yet I had hardly located them near Borre, before & had thrown myself down, before we got moving again & shifted further up. It was just as well, for it seems that the old billets were shelled & bombed shortly afterwards & knocked nearly to pieces
Instead of number 7 platoon, I joined no 8 with Bob Humphries in charge, & Sgt McKye a very fine chap, but a bit of an outlaw, as Sgt. We were on fatigues – carrying up wire, & material, & digging new trenches, & so on, for a day or so; and when we went in