I was wounded in rather a curious manner. Being caterer to the
officers’ mess, I was preparing the dinner, plucking a duck in the
backyard, when a shell burst, and I was hit on the shoulder and head.
I had laid the tables for dinner before, and to my surprise when I
was expecting the return of officers, I was confronted by a party of
Germans, who sat down and ate a hearty meal, while I managed to escape.
Whether they finished the plucking and cooking of the duck, I thought
it advisable not to return and see: _Sergt. Hanks, 4th Middlesex
Regiment_.