Mercer papers, 9 December 1917-19 June 1919 / Harold Mercer - Page 12

[Page 12]

officer who was supervising unloading operations asked me to "lend a hand there". I was passing when our Corporal Lewis pulled me up; and when we got to our car – a real carriage compartment this time – we had a really nice case of Christmas delicacies with us. It included tinned chicken, tinned lobster, muscatels etc.
We arrived at Caestre at midnight or thereabouts , and marched out to a concentration camp just outside the village, which is a quaint one with a queer old church. From there we could hear the guns. They were constantly at it, making a sort of metallic rumpty to rum! – reminding one very much of a printing establishment in full blast.

In that camp recently men wandering about with braziers which they swayed in the wind to make the contents burn up attracted Fritz airmen & the place got well bombed, with many casualties resulting. They are careful of their lights now. We were in tents but they were all painted with camouflage, & surrounded by little bunches of sandbags a foot or so high to give protection from bursting bombs. We stayed two days at Caestre, during which the camp got full up; and then we were put into motor waggons, and rushed up through Balleul, (a place I want to inspect) and some other towns to Kemmel. I am now with the Battalion allotted to B Co. Platoon 7.
Was given quite a nice reception by the boys, when they