Diary Entry - 20th July, 1917

Walford: At the OP all day, relieving Fleming. I had not been there five minutes when the Hun started. He put one short one just over and Fleming and I thought discretion the better part of valour and ran to a flank. Four more rounds were fired. They all fell in a circle round it. I thought it was odds on getting some more during the morning as he had the range to a tee, but he had stopped for the day - probably that was his allowance. The 23rd Battalion of Fusiliers carried out an unsuccessful raid at ten p.m. The Hun probably was expecting it as the wire had been cut on his front so he evacuated the front line and supports, putting down his own barrage on them. The casualties were rather severe for us but don't know the actual numbers. All we succeeded in bringing back was a document which had probably been left there on purpose.