Mercer papers, 9 December 1917-19 June 1919 / Harold Mercer - Page 114
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[Page 114]
to Herr Smidt. The men we relieved say that everything is very quiet, & the Germans opposite (wherever they are they are a long way away) are passive resisters. In a recent stunt our fellows went over, captured the front line without a shot being fired, taken all the men they found prisoner; & waited to gather in the ration carriers!
May 4th
We did some wiring, to secure our position; and then at 4.30 am, participated in a hop-over with the French, who are on our left; at 4.30 At five the two whites went up to show how well we had done. It is a mere rectification of the line and it was an easy stunt.
There are a lot of unburied German dead, about & the atmosphere is putrid. We buried one Hun, lying near our trench, in broad daylight; yet Fritz did not fire a shot. Also a man hopped over the top to chase back two cows that were wandering towards the German lines. For a long time we have had cows on the Battalion strength, & the fresh milk is good. Other incidents during the day went to show that the opposing Huns are a lifeless lot. Nothing could induce him to fire a shot; & under the circumstances, it is difficult to keep the youngsters & newer men quiet. One man got into a bean field near the side of the trench