Читать книгу To Fight Alongside Friends: The First World War Diaries of Charlie May - David Crane - Страница 37

Sixteen miles march today [to Puchevillers].^xii And a long sixteen they were, what with wet great-coats, mud-laden, feet still wet and puttees hard-caked with trench clay. Still, we are here now and right for a night’s rest in good billets which is a reward one gets to look forward to with amazing keenness. The men are all comfortably tucked down on good, clean straw and the officers are in various cottages with a little mess room in an old lady’s cottage. We have a fire, a bottle [of] vin blanche [sic] and the old Madame to chatter to us about her boy who is fighting in the Argonne.

It is quite interesting, quite warm and produces in one that grand feeling of happy sleepiness which a hard day’s slog always produces.

We have left our good friends the East Lancs but I trust only for the time and that we may meet again one of these fine days. They were most decent to me last evening and I must once more speak of all their kindnesses to us.

Young Shelmerdine has done well again today. He always turns up trumps when it is wanted of him and I think he will do well before this job is over.

We move on again first thing tomorrow morning for another dose but I hope by then we will be finished for a time so that the men may get dry, have a bath and get their clothes cleaned. They do wonderfully, the men, putting up with every inconvenience and discomfort cheerfully and slogging along on their flat feet to the end. The battalion has had a good dose of graft ever since we landed, as good a dose as any could have had but every time it has got [at] them, and that is everything. The Manchesters are all right and the 22nd one of their best battalions.

And now to bed to the sleep of the just. I share my couch with Prince so at least we will be warm.