March 22, 1918
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Beautiful weather. Had rather a trying day. Fritz, instead of shelling the same area as before, switched on to us. Early in the morning we had several cases in from close by but it was not till shortly after 2 o’clock that he caught any of the ambulance lot. I had just sent a party of four men with three limbers down the road to get soil when a shell came over, killed one man named Henehan and one horse and slightly wounded 3 others. Well we buried the horse, when a couple more came across, but not actually in the camp.
Then just on 4 o’clock one landed right in the camp, wounding about 5 men and making a mess of a few of the huts. By this time things were getting warm and the Colonel ordered everyone into some big trenches.Then just as tea was on and plans were being formed to restart riveting after tea two more came over so once more the Hospital was emptied out. Plans were then made to shift everyone for the night and the unit were billeted in the Dispensary and other houses which were in the village itself.
The decision to leave the camp for the night was much strengthened by two more which came over about 9 o’clock, one man being hit near the Q.M. store. Altogether ‘tis a very trying time as there is really nothing to do bar sit down and wait for them. Being large calibre high velocity shells they burst with a tremendous crash without the slightest warning screech whatever, practically no hole being made in the ground, showing that they burst on the slightest contact. C. Section went away to-day and I guess are congratulating themselves on the fact.
Practically all the back areas are being shelled, Bailleul getting a bad time, and from all sides reports are coming in of a like nature, and then to cap all, we read in to-day’s paper an article by a correspondent, Percival, in which he says “fruitless shelling of back areas, our men tickled and amused at the Huns’ wild shelling” and so on. A greater insult to the soldiers could not be imagined as this kind of shelling is one of the most trying and causes numerous casualties besides disorganising things, quite a number of units having shifted quarters. In one camp about half a mile away over 50 horses have been hit and yet this waster says that we are amused.