Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 29]
this 12 x 8 Gunyah, slopped mud everywhere and we sat crouched in it, eating our breakfast. One could only kneel upright in the middle! We got our packs and blankets (one each) and I luckily found a fairly dry sack which helped to keep me up off the wet floor a little, changed my socks and was soon fast asleep, but not for long as the rain-water started to run into the Gunyah and was soon an inch deep under our water-proof sheets. That meant getting out into the rain and doing some repairing and digging. Fortunately that night the rain hung off, and I slept well and warmly as we were packed together like sardines; though the night was cold and frosty and next morning there was ice on the pools ¼ inch thick. Next day we did a few of the usual "fatigues", but had as good a rest at night as the wet earth would permit and the following day we were started off again for the trenches. That was our "Rest". There was the usual struggle through the mud and Communication Trenches to the front line, and our battalion occupied a new line of trenches - or really an indication of a trench, as it was only about a foot deep; and in our exhausted state we had to dig in. We managed this without being observed, but our men went roaming about looking for bits of sticks or anything at all to build a cover over the trench; and Fritz, seeing these, "strafed" us heavily for a while without us suffering many casualties. Next day a volunteer was wanted for a despatch runner for Battalion Headquarters, and I jumped at it as I could retire during the intervals of carrying messages to the warmth and comparative safety of the cellars of the ruined Sugar Factory. There were 8 of us altogether, so the intervals were fairly long and I had some good sleeps. I was able too, to get a better feed of biscuits, bully-beef and cheese, which when supplemented by jam, which I longed for, made a better meal. The discovery of a deep well near the Sugar Factory was fortunate, and this, after being analysed for fear of its being poisoned was found to contain splendid water, and saved the necessity of carrying the water for drinking from Flers. The danger was so great in going there that a sufficient quantity was never got and the men
(30).