Letters from John Hardie to his family, 1917-1918 - Part 7

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our lads had him on the run they could have driven him
miles. I was knocking about looking for shovels to dig in
and I came across a jock sitting against a turnip heap
just as though as he was as leep. I gave him a poke to wake him
up and, I could then see he had been dead for some days
Poor chap. he was only a lad too. Well we set to work
and dug in and were just about finished when the
sentry gave the warning, and there was a scramble for
rifles and ammunition. Old Fritz had come back
and was massing for a counter attack in massed formation
We could see them right along the sky line about three
hundred yards away. Well we opened up and in less than
no time there wasn't a hun showing. We must have cut them
down in hundreds. The position we had picked was
the best that was possible for any one to choose from
a defensive point of view. If we had taken it further up
we would have had the sky line behind us and the enemy
would have had the a big wood for a background
and also to mass his troops for an attack. As it was we
had reversed things by falling back a bit.
We had just about got things fixed up properly when we were
relieved and we moved back carrying all our wounded with
us to the dressing station. We then moved back to the village
of Cachy which we reached just before daylight on Easter
Sunday morning March 31st. Our Platoon Officer who wasnt in
the stunt met us in the street and took us into a building where
we got a drink of hot tea. You never saw such miserable
creatures as we were. Wet to the shkn mud from head to toe
and absolutely dead beat. The Officer nearly cried when
he saw us. There were only a handful of us left out of a Coy
that was the morning before well over strength you wouldnt
beleive how well we were treated for the next few days.
On Easter Monday the 1st  of April our billets were again
shelled and several men hit including two more of the 33rd
This time I didn't leave the buildings when the Officer gave the
order to take to the open, There were only a few H. E. came on
and there he fairly pasted shrapnell over the open field.

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A  lot of the ^ officers are only new chaps and absolutely, loose their
heads under fire. It is a good thing the men know their
work. On the next day 2nd of April the remnants of the Coy
and a few new chaps were formed into one platoon instead
of four and we had five Lewis guns. In fact we were all
turned into Lewis Gunners. After dark we marched out
to the town on top of a hill, which is called Villers
Bretonneux, where we were billeted for the night in a
chemists shop.  Next day the 3rd we were all put on
guard in different parts of the town to keep the troops
from looting. I happened to be on a big warehouse
with two others and a corporal. The place was full of wine
and food of all kinds. Things passed off all right all
day although old Fritz was shelling the town attc
none came very close to us. Sometimes shrapnell fell round
us. Just at dusk I was releived of my post at the main
entrance and went into the building to have tea, and had
barely sat down when a shell burst fair on the sky
light above me. I thought I was hit in a dozen places
After a second I knew it was only in the right thigh
and left foot. Well I jumped up and was waiting
for the smoke to clear when over came another, but I expected
that one. As soon as I could see where the door was I
made a rush for it and got out on the street badly as
I was hit. I glanced at the Corporal who was alongside
me when I was but and saw that he was beyond
help. He was hit in the back of the neck
I think I was very lucky for the floor all round
where I was retting was torn by shrap.
I couldn't get any further away than the street and the
other two chaps run away and brought four streacher
bearers. There chaps took my boot off and bound it
up. The little toe was clan gone and a bit of the side
of the foot, and the other toe was just hanging on
and just fancy it didn't bleed. The other one in my
thigh bled quite a lot. but they soon fixed that 

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They then carried me round to the dressing station
which was quite close. I had to wait there until midnight
before they got a car to take me away to the C.C.S.
fifteen miles away. It was one of the worst journeys I
have ever done. The roads were so rough and every go
was agony, I had to hang on to the sides of the streatcher
to keep myself from being pitched out. Well I lived
through it and was evacuated on early in the morning
They were unable to get the piece out of my thigh
but straightened up the foot wound.
As soon as I came round they placed me in a car
again and sent me to Abbeville another fifteen miles
The cloraform had no after affects on me at all
& I came round just like a person comming xxx out, of
a sleep. I remember asking the orderly had I been through
the operation and he laughed.
We landed in Abberville after another rough trip
and was admitted to the 3rd Australian Hospital this
was the fourth of April the day of all that furious fighting
for that town I was wounded in.
The rest of this I will tell you when I get home
I got such a lot of letters from you to day, most of
which were from you mother.
Will dearest mother I am so sorry to know your
health has been so bad and Wins too 

I am sending this letter in two different envelopes
as it is two big to send in one.
Dont show it to any one outside the Charles family
unless the war ends before I get back.
as there is a lot in it that the censor would object
to and another thing it isn't playing the game
We arent supposed to put so much information
in any of one letters home
Will so long dear xxx for the present
your loving son
Jack.