Diary Entry - 10th August, 1917

Hun starts on us at six forty-five, dropping the first half dozen on the crest to get his line, then the next two bracketed the position. When the first near one came, we got all men into the tunnel, the officers in pyjamas. I took care to hurry along with my clothes, so as I could dress. The infanteer looked a picture in a tin hat, British warm and brown silk pyjamas waving in the wind. When coming back from the Mess to the tunnel a 5.9 had a direct hit on a tree and it came crashing to the ground in good style. After breakfast, we moved all the men to the left flank near the 6-inch howitzers and about one p.m. they fired on the battery that was causing the trouble, stopping it. On inspecting the damage after lunch, we found No. 2 gun had received a round right on its wooden platform and what was left of the carriage was buried under cupolas and earth. We set to work and soon had it hauled out, removing the piece first and sending to the WL for wheels to remove the carriage or what was left of it. A shell had pitched on Armytage's dug out and one just in rear of mine, but they both held out. We were working hard filling in the holes when the Colonel and an attached Colonel arrived. He must have thought us very industrious. That night we got a carriage from ordinance, put the piece in and had the gun in action by nine p.m.