Trenches
8.7.16
Dear May
We have had a comparatively good time this week. For 6 days I was on night fatigues but as there was something doing where we were supposed to work every night we didn’t do a tap the whole time. Of course we were not in the front trench at the time so we had a good spell. Next night we were on pushing fatigue & had a pretty lively spin as old Fritz started to bombard while we were on the job & at one place the shrapnel was bursting quite close & whistling past us into the trees. We were over half our time lying out flat behind what little cover we could get. At last we came to a fresh shell hole in the middle of the line. To get past would have meant unloading
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& carrying the truck across it but fortunately it was near the dump so we just heaved the stuff off there & set off for home, & I can tell you we made the old trolley travel. For our second trip things were quieter & we only had to go about half way up but a stray bullet hit our trolley & a man on another trolley about 50 yds from us got one through the leg. It is pretty exciting work but of course it is necessary. Fortunately our turn doesn’t come very often. The following evening we had a little entertainment of a slightly different nature. We were just finishing tea when a big shell came over our bivvy & landed about the road 150 yds behind us, another followed & burst closer. We got out of it & away down the line as fast as we could go. When a lull came we started to go back but another big high explosive scattered us again. We saw one
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shell land in the trench & send sandbags timber & all sorts of wreckage flying through the air. As we were less than 50 yds away we continued the evacuation at the double. For fifteen to twenty minutes they kept it up & then we returned & found it was our happy home that had been struck. A shell had landed & burst in the trench right at our dugout door. Talk about “Fragments from France”. Rifles equipment & everything was blown to atoms & we lost practically everything that we didn’t have on us. I found my hold-all but every article in it was smashed to pieces except my scissors & a couple of watchmaking tools. Powdered up looking glass, tooth brush & paste & shaving soap were plastered together & resembled a trench stew. I have eaten many a worse looking mixture. Everything in my tunic is gone. I have not been able to find any
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trace of my tunic but found a lot of the things out of the pockets lying smashed & scattered about among the debris. I got some of the parts of my rifle & bayonet & will post them to you if I can. If they get through they will give a slight idea of the force of the explosion. I lost my money belt but fortunately there was nothing in it beyond the few badges & buttons I had collected & a few cheap Belgian coins that I was trying to keep. Of course I require practically a whole new outfit but I suppose I’ll get it all in time. It is no use asking you to send anything as I’ll be all fixed up before this reaches you, at present I am not feeling the loss very much & it is alright having no pack to carry around. Albert B & Mark are both in a similar position as we were all in the same bivvy. Next day I got off for a few hours & went to arm[?]
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to get a few necessities & to lay in a new supply of cafe du lait, rolled oats etc. It is five days since I started this letter so I think it is time I finished off & started another. We have shifted to another trench but it is pretty much the same, a sort of mixture of excitement & monotony. I saw a bundle of May Ensigns today but there is very little news in them. I believe there is a N.Z mail in so I suppose we will start getting it tomorrow. Parcels seem to be coming through alright now. I got two this week containing sweets & a cake of Cuticura soap. I find the latter bon for the complexion. Excuse paper it’s the last of the block.
Love to all
Len
Re watch glasses I think you had better hold on to them at present. I might want them soon.
14th Have just received 2 letters from home (6 & 7) also your photo.
