Monday, February 9, 2015

Western Front Feb 1915 Part II


The complete journal is in my book 

World War 1 - An Unkept Promise



Feb. 8th

          Had a day on my own strolling about, waiting for the Battery to come – they arrived about 6 pm. As we could not bring the guns into action until after dusk, on account of aeroplanes observation, the 56th Battery went out of position and moved towards RICHEBOURG. We took up the position of their guns, also the farm, and it was about the most comfortable billet we had ever had, as regards accommodation, for the building had escaped shell fire, which was strange, considering the village at the back had been ‘ through it’  as had those on the left and right.


          Feb. 9th – 17th

One day whilst in front, the Leicester’s found the bodies of two young girls in a nude condition, underneath some straw, just in front of the trenches. They had evidently been violated and murdered some long time before, for the bodies were decomposing – just two more innocent victims and proof of the way the blaggards fight. [i]
 During this time it was very quiet; we did little firing. It was the nicest position we had ever been in.
 It was a change, except for Collins having a couple of squeaks while repairing the line. Nothing worth recording happened, for nothing in the nature of a shell came near us, and we did very little night firing – we called it rest.

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