TCD MS 10516 folio 33 verso
[14th September 1916] lay down for a few minutes to take a breath on reaching the wounded man. He had been shot through the shoulder and chest, was in a serious state, almost unconscious. It was obvious that he should be returned to the rear as rapidly as possible. To take him slowly over the bullet-swept plain to the shelter of the mound was a problem. The slow progression and large target of a stretcher would be a most dangerous proceeding, so I prepared to make a rush with him on my shoulder, adopting the usual method of “fireman’s lift”. One of my orderlies, Harkadhoj Rai, an old friend of mine, was helping to put him on my shoulder. We naturally had to stand up to effect this. The enemy must have instantly spotted us for, in less than a minute, bullets were hissing around us; one went crash-