“To be within two or three yards of a big shell when it bursts sounds like sudden death, but it isn’t—necessarily; it happens daily to lots of people who survive; I have been several times as close as that, closer in one case; the shock and noise absolutely deafen one for some minutes afterwards, but it seems to pass off; but there must be a good solid bulwark of earth between you and the shell! if there isn’t, well—shell-shock is the best you can hope for!”
On Sunday, the 17th, we had a Church of England parade out of doors, the cornet player of the Drums leading the hymns. Second Lieutenants Easterby and Rigby joined us. The following day we were inspected in mass by the Brigadier, who gave us a good rating about Saturday’s march. We thought this a little unkind, as it might have occurred to the Staff to make a start early in the morning and get it over in the cool of the day, instead of expecting men who were weak from a long spell of trenches to march 15 miles heavily laden in the middle of a hot June day; however, we had no doubt that those responsible would be duly ticked off, so we swallowed the rating with outward calm; after all, the men who fell out had in some cases done so without asking leave, being long past caring what happened, and this was a breach of march discipline.
The remaining days of the month were spent in training; we received a large number of reinforcements, including Second Lieutenant Brooke. Captain Houghton, who had picked up trench fever during the last tour, was sent to Field Ambulance, Captain Harris taking over A Company.
On the 2nd July we marched to LUMBRES, thence we went by rail to BRANDHOEK, and marched from there to DERBY CAMP. At dusk D Company moved forward to a post called L 4 on the YPRES Road, A and C Companies to a strong point called P 1, and two Officers and 50 Other Ranks to YPRES for water duties. Second Lieutenant H. Whitehurst joined us as a reinforcement. Two men were wounded on the 3rd and one on the 5th, on which day Captain Ord rejoined us from the Divisional School, Major Crump leaving the following day for a three months’ course at the Senior Officers’ School, Aldershot.
On the 9th we relieved the 1/4th KING’S OWN in the line; there was considerable enemy activity during the night, and we had one killed and one wounded.
On the 10th, although considered “quiet,” we had three men wounded, while on the 12th, though he put two of our Lewis guns out of action with Minenwerfers and shelled our trenches intensely, we had no casualty. At 11 p.m. he began to shell Battalion Headquarters steadily and went on till 8 30 a.m.; a wiring party from our left front Company had three men wounded by “Minnies,” and had to come in.
One man was killed and eight wounded during the day, one of the wiring party being missing. On the 13th two men were wounded during desultory shelling of our lines, and five on the next day, which started quiet, but things on both sides woke up at dusk, our guns bombarding enemy batteries, the Hun sending gas shells on to us, and barraging the front line, stopping all work, wounding three men and gassing two others that day. In the early morning 20 yards of the front line parapet was knocked in, one man killed and five wounded. Things were getting very hot indeed, and our strength was daily being whittled down, but relief was not yet.
The casualties at this time would have been far heavier than they actually were but for the fact that the N.C.O.’s in the front line had learnt that NO MAN’S LAND was the safest place in a bombardment and used to take their posts out in front of our wire as soon as the Hun opened out.
Oblique Aeroplane Photograph Showing Objectives in the 3rd Battle of YPRES.