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[Page 25]
during the three or four hours of the bombardment. Great numbers of the enemy's shells were "duds", that is, they failed to explode, due to bad manufacture; and probably in a large measure to the soft and muddy condition of the earth which failed to give sufficient shock to the projectile on impact. Numbers of gas and lachrymatory (tear) shells were thrown over but mostly in our rear and we were not troubled by them on account of the damp weather which soon neutralised the poisonous effect of the chlorine. We felt, however, the effect of the "tear" shells in some of the Communication trenches after we were relieved, the pugent, sickly, sweet pineapple smell of the gas still lingered in the crevices. It seemed to me that the strain on the men was the greatest during the heavy bombardments, which gradually produce a feeling of apprehension that the next of the shells falling all about will fall on top of them. This feeling, added to the nerve shattering and ear splitting effect of the bursting high explosive shells and the pungent smell of the explosive is very trying. I had an elderly chap to relieve me or to take urgent messages when I was away. He had been blown up and slightly wounded in a previous engagement and was soon very much upset and felt unequal to taking any messages. I felt sorry for him and took his turn frequently. We were sitting together in a little caved out place we had made in the trench with our waterproofs over us and listening to this bombardment when a 5.9 shell burst in the corner of our trench not more than ten feet away. My ears sang with the shock and lungs felt distended with the displacement of the air. Something struck me heavily on the side of my head knocking me over on top of my companion, who had also been "blown over". When I realised I was alive I put my hand up furtively to the side of my head to feel how much damage was done! I was only bruised though a quantity of pieces of metal lay at our feet. Except that I felt dazed, the explosion did not hurt my nerves and the other chap who was shaking, said he wished he had nerves like mine. I let him think so. If he had known how I had to struggle to get a grip upon myself at the
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