Mercer papers, 9 December 1917-19 June 1919 / Harold Mercer - Page 89
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[Page 89]
about seventy fowls in the house, which were half starved. Of course, the Tommies had a great feast. Here it is pathetic to see the people waiting with their chief household goods laden on carts, for the signal to fly. Little sorrowful caravans go by, now & again too; families already in flight.
A whole lot of tanks went by this afternoon on the way to where ever the front is. We lined up to give the lumbering things derisive cheers, which, of course, increased whenever any of them came to a standstill, & failed to get a move on again, as three of them did. Although nobody anticipated a very cheerful time ahead – or a very long time either – we are all making the most of our holidays
April 10th
Last night the air seemed humming with 'planes mostly German I think. Fritz must have his entire fleet hereabouts. A little attention was paid to Allonville, but most of the nasty stuff, no doubt was for Amiens & the railways. We could hear the thud of bombs in the distance; and when the 'planes were not about we could hear the high notes of the big shells passing. This morning I was very weak as the result of dysentry, which seems to have affected many men here; and was given two days "no duty". Rather farcical when