ON BEING "STRAFFED."

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume L, Issue 175, 2 November 1917, Page 8

ON BEING "STRAFFED."

The following letter, dated France, August 10th, "was received by a Mornington resident from his son at the front:— You write and say "what about sending a cheerful letter and all about your experiences." This will give you some idea what the last "stunt" was like. We left the last camp we were at, called Jesus Farm. How it got the name I don't know. We left about 6 o'clock, carrying 170 rounds of ammunition, overcoat, oil sheet, rifle, and a change of socks (which were never changed). Reached the front trenches about 9 o'clock. It was fairly good till then, but going up Fritz started and gave us shrapnel and every other high explosive he had. We were wading through mud and slush up to our waist at tirries—never than our knees. When we got to the front line —which we had to hold—he never stopped "strafing" all night long and all next day. We were standing in that for some 48 hours —could not sit down, let alone lie downl How on earth the trenches were, not blown to pieces and us with them God only knows. If ever hell was let loose it was that night—as bad as any night I had put in on the Somme, and we put in some hot nights there. Then we had .the coming back again. Left at 11 o'clock at night, and started to go down the trench, but was that "licked" and knocked out could go no farther, so several of us made a bid for it across country —"No Man's Land" —and managed to get out safely. We had several- casualties, but were very lucky considering. You can imagine the* weight of the overcoat, oil sheet, rifle, and wet equipment, all soaking and covered in mud. We got to camp again about 3.30 in the morning, wet, cold, and miserable; threw ourselves down on the ground in the tent —no blankets, wet clothes and all—and that,' so we had no chance of drying our clothes ; but got them dry at last, and very few got a cold. Well, you can't write verv cheerful news on "stunts" like those. Lastn ight old Fritz was over about 2 o'clock in the morning, trying to bomb our camp (dirty swine that he is). One bomb landed about 10 yards from our tent, but got nobody. He got the horse lines, about 200 yards from us, killing between 70 and 80 horses, and that with two bombs landed in the middle of them. The place this mornintr looks like a shambles. I think we would have had bad luck if they had landed in the middle of our camp ; «o you see we are not eafe even a good way behind the line. But I suppose it is all in the game; if Fritz has one labelled for you you will get it.