September 26, 1917
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A very heavy day for all hands. Our artillery opened up at 5.45 a.m. and our fellows went over. Shortly after 8 the wounded began to come in, walking cases and others. It was a welcome sight to see German prisoners carrying in the wounded. A large number passed through, wounded and otherwise, and we made use of about 30 to help us to handle the wounded. They worked splendidly, almost to a standstill, all the morning unloading cars and lorries and carrying the men along.
Only a couple of gas cases, so I was running the loading and unloading of patients and it was wonderful the way we were able to move the wounded. The arrangements were wonderful, the M.A.C. officer and Sgt. getting the cars and handing them over to me to fill up. In a twinkling this would be done and another would take its place in an the place, the shells falling in two parallel lines on either side of the road, not one actually hitting the road. Our water tank was punctured and one man wounded on the road during all this shelling.
About two o’clock, whilst I was snatching a feed at the cook houses, a shell fell just outside and killed a fine little fellow, a cook, working outside. Only the wall in between saved me, and when the dust cleared I went out to look for the lad. I found him lying face downwards, one arm and one leg practically severed and other wounds. Two of us put him on a stretcher, but he breathed his last as we did so, and after showing him to the M. O. we carried him around to where the other dead were lying.
This was our only casualty for the day, a remarkable thing, as several times debris thrown by flying shells fell over us. Am pleased to say that I did not know what nervousness was, even after the cook house incident, the work being sufficient to keep one up to anything. The whole crowd worked wonderfully and not once was there a block along the only road available for the whole traffic.
Things slackened up during the afternoon and a block in the road towards evening caused a hold up for half an hour. Saw several damaged guns go back, also some lorries and caterpillars which had been knocked and burnt. Altogether a wonderful day, one to demonstrate our power and the wonder of our organisation. What the result of the hop-over was we do not know yet for certain. The noise of the artillery was fearful.