The artillary afforded a great sight hammering the top of Kara Bail

12th December 1915 Sunday

Up again 9 am after no sleep and without food off again. Men very dogged. Look back with surprise on yesterday’s performance. Yesterday was rather too concerned with taking in what was going on to trouble to think about it. It was a very near shave. Several times when we moved back the enemy must have been very near. The artillery both French and British was very fine and afforded a great sight hammering the top of Kara Bail in best Boer War fashion. The whole thing impressed me irresistibly as a great Brigade Field Day in a huge mismanaged manoeuvre, and I could not shake this idea off even when they found the particular place we were in and shelled us pretty heavily with shrapnel. However it was well worked – the whole retreat and the Brigade did well. To return to today we took the road down and marched to the railway at Kilinder where we camped at 2 pm for the night as we were told. At 5 pm orders changed again and this time to entrain at once for Salonika. Left camp 8 pm to entrain 9.30. Brigade botched things as usual and we had to knock about the station for 7 hours before entraining at 4 am.