Mercer papers, 9 December 1917-19 June 1919 / Harold Mercer - Page 103
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[Page 103]
his luck – he had been right through & had never been wounded, although only once away from the Battalion for three months – would not last, & that when he "got it" he would get it badly. He was always a good friend to me, & had promised to get me sent to an Officers school when these stunts are over. It was offered me once before, when we were up in the Ravine; but I had only just joined the battalion and I thought that in consequence of some sarcastic verses I had written about "the Fighting Patrol" there was a desire to get rid of me. I did not think it fair I should go, until I had more experience. All I knew after this shell came was that Phil Knight was shouting "Artillery formation! No 8!" He must have been hysterical; it seemed an absurd order. If he had said skeleton formation he would have been right. We must all have been hysterical; for we were laughing, all of us, at trivial things: one was that Happy George's horse, which he had been riding, had disappeared, I don't know how we got to our position or when; but I know we moved quickly. The post we had was just a few mounds for cover – no trench or anything. For a couple of days we all of us felt pretty