Marched to ----, seven miles. Water in places up to the knees. No billets for B Co. on arrival.
Marched up to trenches, ----, eight miles. Awful condition. Big craters in front, and three saps in our line.
Narrowest escape of self yet recorded. Shell burst in trench and killed man one and a half yards away and blew your humble into the mud, together with another C.O. and others. Two other men wounded. Felt a bit shaky for some time.
Relieved for forty-eight hours and marched to ----, four miles. Good billets. Delicious shave and wash, and two glorious nights in my valise.
Pass into ----, to see H.[3] No luck--on leave. He returned ten minutes after I left for ----.
H. ran over to see me, and we had two full hours’ “jawing,” and _café au lait_. Left for same trenches at 12.30. Had a warm reception with artillery, and owing to some “show” in the vicinity had to stand-to for hours. Raining hard and mud knee-deep--miserable, and thought and thought of the happy home, and wondered and wondered! Went out on patrol with one man at five next morning, but had to return post-haste, as three of the enemy were on similar job and washed our intentions out.
Shelling all day, both sides. Few men hit.
At stand-to, 6 a.m. Much shelling. Very uncomfortable. At 7.30 an enemy mine went up--a fearsome thing. The sensations were these--
III. A huge column of earth rising higher and higher into the sky.
Then came the falling matter, we lying in the bottom of the trench, while everything imaginable fell around--earth--huge clods--sandbags and timber. One big piece of wood landed with a thud a foot from my head and spattered me with mud. Escape No. 2 since I joined. Fortunately the mine was lifted just beyond our saps, and presumably in the same place as the crater. No one was seriously hurt--only two slightly knocked about. Of course an attack was expected, but none came, and we stood-to till 8.30. Had an awful time from mine explosion till we were relieved at 2.30 p.m. Marvellous how we all escaped. I thought my number was up every minute, and my nerves were not of the best and I was feeling a bit rocky. While relief was being carried on we had an awful time: all kinds of shells, big and small, landing everywhere. Very fortunate to get out with no casualties. Incoming regiment had a few. At 11.15 p.m. I returned to trenches in order to go out again on patrol. Was out for thirty minutes, took survey and returned safely, covered with mud and pretty wet. Returned to ---- Farm, where my platoon is billeted. It is a small fortress, built up with sandbags from a big ruined brewery. Last night while asleep, about 3.30 a.m., a big shell burst just outside my cellar door, and again I thought my number was up. Earth, etc., was shot into my abode, and the doorway blocked up, not to mention bricks; but I was left intact.