TCD MS 10822 folio 35 recto
[Aug 31st 1917] is extremely nice and hospitable.
Septr 1st. We are on the move once more towards the line. A march of between 9 and 10 miles through Bailleul brought us to Neuve Eglise where we went to a Camp. It was a vile day cold and drizzling. In the evening we had to send on parties up to the trenches to reconnoitre.
Sept 2nd. We were aroused during the night by bombs being dropped somewhere near, but no damage was done. We had an early start in the morning and went up to Messines where we took over the Support trenches. The weather was very showery. There was not much shelling during the day and in the evening we were relieved by the Shropshires and we took over the front lines trenches. It was luckily a moon light night and so we found our way up easily. There was not much shelling but there was a lot of machine gun fire. The C.T. was very shallow and very little protection to us.
Sept 3rd. At dawn I went to two of the Coy H. Q. which were also in the pill boxes of concrete. On coming away from them, I was sniped with whiz bangs which luckily missed me. The day was quiet but as there was no covered approaches to the front line we could not visit them. Our own dug out is a pill box of concrete, very strong, very small and very low, so that it is impossible to stand up in it. We are terribly crowded but must make the best of it. After dark, I made a tour of the whole line which took me three hours. Except for a little machine gun fire, it was very quiet and while I was away H. Q. came in for most of the shelling. In parts the front line was only a series of shell holes – very wet.
Sept 4th. A glorious day. A certain amount of shelling in the morning otherwise it was quite quiet. A Hun aeroplane patrolled very low over our lines for nearly four hours. At night I walked round the front line between midnight and 3 a. m. It was a beautiful moonlight night and going was very easy. By night there is very little firing except Machine gun in the front line.
Sept 5th. A lovely day and a very quiet morning. We lunched outside in the trench on the strength of it. In the afternoon no