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[Page 22]
body. Our Sergt. was by this time in a state of nervous excitement and ordered our retirement by the sap. This was not known to us and appeared to lead away a good deal from our position. To reassure him, I climbed over the parapet to observe if the direction which was correct; but after going some hundreds of yards, some of the front men caught sight of a large party working with their backs to us digging scoop trenches or dug-outs in the side of a small hill. They took these to be Germans (which in the nasty light they certainly looked like) and reported it as such to the Sergeant. He had a hurried look, exclaimed "By --- yes, they are Germans - about turn" and incontinently fled, followed by the two men next to him. I was next and as I stopped in the trench the others could not pass until I argued the point. The matter was patent to anybody cool enough to think a second. How could we get in the rear of the Germans without crossing their trenches! Most were shaken by the bombardment we had endured, and somewhat nervous, but they saw the obvious, and on looking closer could see it was our own Pioneers, working with their tunics off and that they wore steel helmets. Their grey flannel shirts certainly resembled the German field gray uniforms; but you can see how possible it is for a panic to affect our steady troops after a nerve racking bombardment. To further satisfy the chaps I went 3 or four hundred yards towards the "enemy"! to make sure and to see if the sap would eventually turn towards our position. It was O.K. and after struggling along through the mud for some distance I led them out over the parapet in a bee line for where I guessed our position lay. I was correct in my estimation and felt a bit cocky so did not mind the few scattering shrapnel shells the Bosche sent after us: in fact the whole thing made me feel something of confidence when I felt I was doing something for the men. When we returned I reported the return of the party minus rations and contented myself by saying we had lost the Sergeant!
But the sequel - He poor chap fell in with and returned
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