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[Page 58]
tea, biscuits, bully beef, cheese and jam – I went down to a water hole in a gully; it was difficult to realise that all around us was such Hell. Lieut. Geddes was also there – a man whom I remember, at our concerts, used to sing very charmingly – poor chap, this was his last night in this world.
Just as the sun was setting, throwing its rich colour o'er all the landscape, we formed up for the final march off for the attack – it was difficult going, crawling through the gully which skirted the foot of the hill we were to attack.
We were to attack at 7. sharp, prior to which our artillery was to support us – our Battalion , No.6 platoon supported by the 15th Battalion on the right, 13th on the left .
Lieut.Geddes looked at his watch – " It is 7 o'clock, Lads, " He said, " Come on, lads, at 'em." Up we rushed – God , it was frightful – the screams of the wounded, bursting of the shells, and the ear-splitting crackling of the rifles.
In a very few minutes the gully at the foot of the hill was filled with dead and wounded – thee poor lumps of clay had once been my comrades, men I had worked and smoked and laughed and joked with – oh God, the pity of it.
It rained men in this gully; all round could be seen the sparks where the bullets were striking. Amidst this Hell of writhing, mangled men and hail