1/6th Glosters at the front line at
Messines.
Tuesday 23 June 2015
Friday 19 June 2015
Tuesday 16 June 2015
Sunday 14 June 2015
1915: 14th June - Walker Nott wrote..
June 14th
1915
Walker Nott wrote home
The Trenches.
My dear Winifred,
I can’t remember whether I wrote to you for
your birthday or not. If not forgive me & take this as a birthday letter.
We are in different trenches this time but only a
few hundred yards farther north. We had to endure this morning the worst
bombardment we have experienced yet. I was asleep as I had to come on duty at 4
a.m. when at 2 15 a.m. I was rudely awakened by being nearly flung out of bed
by a violent explosion which seemed to shake the very bowels of the earth.
Hurrying out of my dug-out I found myself under a perfect tornado of fire,
shells bursting, (shrapnel) about 10 feet above our breastworks at the rate of
5 or 6 a minute, trench mortar bombs, rifle grenades, machine gun & rifle
fire – trees falling, bullets splattering & earth flying about a very
inferno. Luckily I had only 6 or 7 yards to go to get to the trench or rather
breastworks, where I was able to walk in comparative safety and see to the men
at their alarm posts & get to the telephone where as usual I found the wires
cut by the shells.
We soon realised that the Germans had exploded a
mine near us.
It turns out
that they succeeded in blowing up a new mine our Engineers were driving. Eleven
of our men were unfortunately entombed but since then communication has been
established with them & oxygen pumped to them or rather to nine of them
while men started to dig them out. As there were about 30 yards to dig through
it takes time but they hope to get these nine out safely tonight. The other two
(Corporals) are presumed to have been killed.
The mine was only 50 yards from our trench & 20
from the next Battalions trenches which bend round at right angles to
ours. The bombardment lasted half an hour & I
reckon at least 150 shells burst over our company trench alone (our artillery
replied with 6) but is was nearly all shrapnel which is useless against
trenches.
We had one man wounded in the shoulder & the
supports which the battalion on our left hurried up at the double lost 1
man wounded, so beyond worrying us & temporarily spoiling our mine, the
Huns didn’t succeed much.
This is the fourth mine. 1 British & 3 German
exploded on our Brigade Front in 9 days. We are instructing some of “K’s” Army
now. There are rumours of leave. I might get a chance about August.
Saturday 13 June 2015
Tuesday 9 June 2015
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