Читать книгу To Fight Alongside Friends: The First World War Diaries of Charlie May - David Crane - Страница 14

Neither Argonne nor St Omer has materialized but we are here, off the beaten track, but close to Amiens and within thirty miles of the new Arras front, for which we are destined. We have had a truly awful day. It has, of course, rained but that is a minor evil now. The train journey was slow and uncomfortable but at length we got to Pont-Remy. There we started to march and there the fun began. The men were beat. A night with no sleep and soaked to the skin they had little heart for a twelve mile slog, overloaded as they were.

Then the guides took us three miles wrong and we had to about turn just at dusk. No one knew where we were for or how to get there, the guides being a pair of damn fools. However, the CO got us right at last and we went slowly forward again.

I handed B over to Don Murray and was sent to the rear with the doctor.^vi Don Murray did well. He is a good chap for his job.

The Doc & I have had an appalling time.^vii He is a regular nailer is the Doc and I admire him from the bottom of my heart.

The men fell out in bunches till at last we were left on an open plain with 60 footsore men, separated from the battalion and utterly lost.

I bet there will be some grey hairs to show for the night’s adventure. The men were so done that they sneaked away from us and hid where they could lie down in the wet and sleep. We dug ’em out and booted them on and in the end we got here, bringing every straggler with us.^viii

I hope I may long be spared a similar tour.

Don & I are now billeted in a large French house from which the family is absent, and are happy as Larry now the day is over.