TCD MS 10822 folio 23 recto
[May 27th 1917] bombardment and on going upstairs found that it was on our front. All the telephone lines to Companies were broken and I could not get through to them. However the wireless set was working and our left Company said they were all right. After half an hour the bombardment quieted down, when some one said that the Boche had broken through. I could not see anything and did not believe it. An orderly of ours was however shot standing at the top of our dug out, another was missing and several dug outs close by were bombed. We collected everyone we could and started scouring the country. A Coy collected one officer and six men, all Prussians of the 31st Regt. The officer was badly wounded. I soon after went round the line which was fairly quiet. We had very few casualties considering the heaviness of the bombardment. The communication trenches were completely blown in but the front line was not much damaged. A quiet afternoon but suddenly about 11.30 p. m. another barrage was put up on our right. This did not last for long but it caught several working parties and caused many casualties. The Boche at the same time attempted a raid against the Battalion on our right but he never reached the trenches.
May 28th. A quiet day with very little shelling. Visited the right Company in the line in the morning. Kestrel Lane at one place was very unhealthy, shells falling on either side. There was much blood everywhere from the working party which were badly caught in it last night. The afternoon and evening were quite quiet.
May 29th. A few minutes after I had finished shaving outside two shells landed close to the entrance of our dug out killing two men and wounding another. One poor fellow was completely blown to pieces part of him landing 90 yards away at the mouth of the Sergt Major’s dug out. The weather continues fine and the trenches are nice and dry. We were relieved during the night by the 9th R.B. but did not get to our new H.Q. till 3 a.m. It was a quiet relief, no casualties.
May 30th. We have a shelter in a small dug out under the bank in Albatross in which to live. A May tree which is in full bloom