Keep Smiling

Entry #49 May 5th 1916

H.E. exploded just behind our dugout, whilst I was on duty, breaking a few wires and nearly deafening us. Shrapnel fell like rain and I was relieved at 2:30 PM I examined the damage. A large tree was blown clean out of its roots, and another one was cut almost into with travel. Whilst you could have buried a section in the hole made by the shell slight stuff at intervals all day. I reported for all night duty at 8:30 PM, and was warned that our own artillery intended to pay for its back by heavy bombardment, and that more than likely Fritz would reply. So I was told to look out for squalls.

12 midnight- Sharp to the minute and all her guns opened fire and kept up a fearful bombardment. It was like daytime, and the concussion was terrific. The Huns did retaliate with some very heavy stuff, and D boys wire was broken, also our right battalions wire. Our right company got a fearful battering, and one platoon was buried alive. Besides a frightful number of dead, wounded and missing. One officer having his head clean blown off, and also a chum of my own Albert Beattie. Our chaps were remarkably cool, and some fine work was done this night under vary trying circumstances. When Don appeared our front line was completely leveled to the ground and it was practically impossible to move along the trenches is huge trees were lying across the. But when one looked across at the other side they were even worse than our own, as it was impossible to distinguish between their trenches and are shell holes. This stuff lasted from 12 midnight until 1:30 AM. Needless to say we were all glad when it was all over, as our right company suffered heavily. And when Don did appear with the fresh smell of the woods, and the birds chirping cheerily oh the irony of it. Other mornings I enjoyed it immensely, but this particular morning I felt very sad I thought of Albert Beattie and only other fallen comrades. To think that yesterday morning they also enjoyed the scenery and the birds and today the birds sing on quite unconscious of what has taken place. Oh the irony of war on a lovely spring morning. Some way or other the birds seem to like discord to me, and the air is poisonous, but enough. "God's will be done." After the storm comes the calm, and hardly a shot was fired during the early part of the following morning, both sides apparently having on understood truce to collect the dead and dying. Every man was turned out to dig some of our poor chaps and they were fairly successful. One poor chap was buried up to the neck the first five minutes of the stuff and was forced to remain like this during the whole stuff. But he was dugout as soon as things got a bit quieter. Our casualties where one officer, 11 men killed and 29 wounded. We were again mentioned in dispatches for this night's work. And as our six days were at an end thank goodness! We left our formal abode "Ravine Villa", The woods, Martinsart. And as the signals are always relieved early to move us went into Bouzincourt to see what it was like.