Taylor war diary, 16 January 1916-22 July 1919 / Tom Taylor - Page 94
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[Page 94]
as that same night we were sent up to "Guedecourt" to build a road into the Village, to take up the Guns where Fritz began his big retreat.
Well within reach of Machine Guns and Whiz Bangs, we worked silently like so many ghosts, and all that could be heard was the thud of the picks and the deep breathing of the men and now and again the sharp whistle of machine gun bullets as some alert Fritz thought he saw or heard something. And where a flare went up every man stayed as he was like so many tree stumps, as a move not only meant death to him but to his cobbers.
About 10 30 pm we noticed an S.O.S. flare go up on the right towards Sunray trench and immediately another followed from Rose Trench supports and we knew something was amiss. A few seconds later the bark of our