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[page 28]
53
(6th INSTALMENT.)
10th August, 1916.
From Albert the road to the firing line leads over the hill at the back of the town and thence through Becourt Wood on the outskirts of which are the old British front line trenches - the trenches held by us prior to the commencement of the attack on 1st. July. Becourt Wood has not seen any fighting to speak of, with the exception of the few shells which come over every day searching for gun positions, horse lines etc., and is therefore recognisable as a wood, which cannot be said of some of the more famous Woods. From now on we are on terrain captured from the Germans during the present offensive. The first thing of interest is perhaps the German front line system. Despite the seven days bombardment of this system which preceeded our attack, the trenches, and more particularly the dugouts, are in a very fair state of preservation. The ample dugouts are quite capable of holding all the men the Germans would be likely to have maning the front line system and how difficult it is to root them out has been told again and again. I climbed down into one of the dugouts and despite all I had heard of their strength and roominess, they were a surprise and revelaton to me. The entrance was from the bottom of the trench (which would be 9 or 10 feet below the top of the parapet) down a flight of about 15 steep steps. You were then in a chamber in which you could stand up and as you were probably then from 25 to 30 feet below the top of the parapet, it was easy to realise how safe it would be there against the most furious bombardment. The roof and sides were stayed up with heavy timber such as is used in a coal mine and one chamber leads into another forming a series which could shelter probably 200 men. Other exits are provided so as to facilitate the