No attempt is made at concealment

TCD MS 10821 folio 46 recto

TCD MS 10821 folio 46 recto

[August 12th 1916] wandered all through the old German lines, where were clothes, bombs unexploded shells etc. lying about everywhere. Our artillery fire had completely destroyed all the wire & most of the trenches. We went down into some of the German dugouts that had escaped destruction: they were beautifully built & extraordinarily deep: the entrances were the only places where they could be injured. We met native troops & many others wandering all over the ruins of the trenches which were really wonderfully interesting. Far away to the right there was a great artillery battle going on & in front great German shells were sending up clouds of black smoke. That we have got command of the air is evident: I did not see any German aeroplanes up, while at one time I counted seventeen of ours up together & eighteen sausage balloons. One of these went adrift over the German lines, but the observer came down safely in a parachute. The ground everywhere is covered with camps of artillery, horses, infantry, pioneers, cavalry: no attempt is made at concealment & it looks far more like proper warfare, than perpetually living in trenches. During the night there was a circle of fire all round from the guns bombarding the German lines, everything from 15” shells downwards[.]