Am sitting in my dug-out scrawling this by the light of a signaller's
lamp. I was awake at 4.30 a.m., working hard practically ever since,
and it is now dark with a beautiful moon rising. I have been very busy
trying to get ahead of a German trench which they had sapped up to us.
We arranged to have it stormed by Capt. O'Sullivan and Mr. Graham, but
as the Royal Engineers could not let me have an officer to put a mine
in just then, it had to be postponed for one day; and that brings us
out of our trenches, as we are supposed to go into rest billets
to-morrow night. Well, I have now settled that a battery of Field
Artillery is to fire on them at fixed hours during the night, and Mr.
T---- has been sent down there with his machine gun, so it is quite on
the cards that we shall have a merry evening! I hear the guns opening
as I write, and wonder if our friends, who greatly outnumber us, will
rush us to-night or not. If they knew how very weak we were, I expect
they would try!
I forgot to tell you that I was ordered to send away a Major, and
consequently Major Alston had to go to the 2nd Battalion with two
other officers. During my rounds this morning with the General he
incautiously exposed himself, and he was instantly fired at, the
bullet striking between us as we stood about a yard apart. Also, two
minutes after I had finished shaving early in the day, a bullet came
through the place breaking the pane of glass. Such is Providence, and
you see that, so looked after, it is as safe here as in England, if it
is our Lord's will.... Your Mother sent me a second paper to fill in.
It is curious to be a Trustee and do such work in the trenches. The
sniping that is going on now is perfectly deafening.
Yours....
G----.
IN TRENCHES.
_December 3rd, 1914._
We go out of the trenches to-night, and after marching six miles to
try and avoid the German shells we shall all put up at a small town
where for the first time since November 10th we shall not be under
fire, and when we shall have the opportunity of taking off our boots
and sleeping without them, also for the first time since we left our
port of landing on November 7th. The poor Colonel I took this dug-out
from was killed last week, as I saw by the papers. He was a nice
sensible man. I shall not be sorry to get out to-night and into bed
for a change. My sleep yesterday was from 12 midnight to 5 a.m., and I
was awakened three times to answer messages. No chance of any more
during the 24 hours before or after. By the way, a story that happened
quite lately might amuse you. An old Frenchwoman came to a house
occupied by our cooks, and asked whether she might get some clothes
out; for all the houses are deserted by the inhabitants. She presented
a recommendation, obviously written in English by a foreigner. We
thought her suspicious, detained her, took the permit, and sent her
away without allowing her in. We cannot arrest her, as the Staff will
not let us do so. Well, she then came and found out where the
observation station of the heavy artillery was, and was seen to go
into the building opposite, take some clothes, and come out, shutting
the door and fastening the shutters; this marked the house, and she
had not been gone 20 minutes when four shells landed together and blew
the place to pieces, just missing the observation post! Of course she
was a spy for the Germans, who watched from a church some distance off
through a telescope, and so were shown where the station was. Then the
guns opened on our cooks, but passed them, knocking down a wall
alongside. Curious that we are not allowed to intern these people; but
the French authorities object. Probably many messages are sent to the
Germans by underground wires.