Diary of Alexander Sutherland Mackay, 15 June 1917 - 26 October 1917 - Part 4

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Jewels
Guns
Breast Plate
 

 
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order to full out. We had a very quiet
time until 9 pm when the 6 horse limbers
arrived & pulled the guns out of action to
the waggon lines, 10 miles in the rear.
We arrived about 1 am this morning &
all the gunners were given the morning
off which was well spent in sleep & a
warm bath & change of clothing. This
afternoon was spent in cleaning horses.
Its simply delightful how no shells, but
I'm afraid we are off into action again
tomorrow. Anyway the whole waggon line
is shifting, I hope to a different front.
Whether its a fresh push or simply
to hold at line, nobody seems to know
I seriously hope the latter, two pushes
in a fortnight are enough for any man.
Two of us who were on the guns ^all the time may not
go up the first night, but nobody has
been detailed yet, so we may follow.
 

60
Last night received 7 letters & started to
write home when the cry "Lights out Fritz
up" went. About five of his planes came
over bombing, they did no damage.
hereabouts. It was a marvellous sight
when our searchlights picked them up &
the antiaircraft guns started shooting
Shots seemed to burst all round them
but so far as we know the beggars
escaped
Sunday 30/9/17. Off into action again
today but this time I'm going as
Battery clerk. Don't know what the
job is like but I've all rations to
fix up & I suppose periodical trips
to headquarters. The old clerk was
knocked at last stunt, just a nice
Blighty through the leg. Hope I'm as
fortunate. The three previous clerks have
all escaped with Blightys
 

61
1/10/17. Arrived in new position last night
taking over the New Zealanders guns.
Fritz made it hot during the night.
shelling on every side of us. Luckily only
one man wounded. All busy today
making deeper trenches. I had to
go to Ypres this morning on the
Bike, that place is in a terrible
condition. Evidently once an up to date
town with fine brick buildings, now
only the remnants of walls remain. Fritz
loves shelling that road, so one has
to be always on the alert. Coming up
yesterday a shell fell in a water hole
about 10 yards from us, fortunately it
was a dud otherwise it would have been [[?]]
2/10/17. Had rather a quiet night from
Fritz, probably due to the solid barrage
kept up by our heavies. Yesterday afternoon
he played a hand on his own, leaving

 

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us all bush. Visited Ypres with
Returns again this morning but found
our headquarters had shifted closer
to the Battery. Not sorry as I'll have
to make a daily journey & Fritz dearly
loves that road, he gets right on to
it, the result of last nights plugging
there was a large motor lorry & two
horses. Its almost incredible the amount
of traffic using that road unharmed, its
the chief outlet for the whole of the
Batteries on this sector. The big guns
are almost wheel to wheel, so naturally
its a tremendous task meeting all supplies
3/10/17. Fritz was particularly quiet
on this sector yesterday afternoon & last
night. Barring an occasional shell
he is not a nuisance this morning
Very [[?]] looking, hope it keeps
up for the stunt, which eventuates
 

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tonight or tomorrow night. If things
continue like this the be Battery clerkship
will do me, no guards or other night
duties. Saw Davey, my old Bulford pal
yesterday their Battery, the 29^th, only has
one gun left at present, ours has two.
No doubt fresh guns will arrive in
time for the stunt.
4/10/17. All yesterday & the majority of last
night Fritz kept fairly quiet. Our main
stunt started at 6 am this morning & is still
going solid (10 am). I had to go down as
usual to Headquarters & saw mobs of prisoners
coming in. nearly all boys, they appeared
to have such a relieved look on their faces,
numbers smoking cigarettes. Sorry to say
a great number of wounded on our side are
coming in. Some of the sights I saw would
make a fellow sleepless for nights in
civil life, but here one gets [[?]]
 

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callous. Mobs of prisoners carrying
our wounded are still going along.
I saw one [[?]] with the iron cross
up, he appeared quite contented to be
a prisoner. Hope the stunt is successful
as I think after this ridge, we have
them on marshy ground, which they
will have to evacuate for the Winter.
The position, so far, is not nearly
as hot as the last - Polygon Wood.
Fritzs Aeroplanes Observation Balloons
did not show up at all yesterday.
The concussion from our guns knocked my
dugout in the morning, I'll have to get
accommodation elsewhere tonight. All hands
getting deaf again.
This afternoon two of our men were lying in
our the dugout when a shell came right

through the top & blew the poor beggars
to atoms. We are going forward
 

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again tomorrow. this afternoon.
xxxxx Got a sleep in Hunt's dugout last
night, things being quiet, xx were fairly
comfortable. Shifted up over a mile today
3/10/17. We are now in our new position
& today has been something awful. We are
seeing the results of our previous pushes, dead
fritz lying everywhere. We are behind three
pillboxes - these are really concrete dugouts
or blockhouses built by the Germans. They are
at present full of German dead, but one is
being cleaned out, for the officers quarters.
One has to watch where he walks for bodies
so needless to say, the stench is terrible.
It has started to rain to ^make matters worse -
No coverings so its a case of finding a
shellhole to camp in.
6/12 10/17. The Guns were booming all night
& today everyone looks worn out - no sleep
cold & slush. All along the road you are
 

66
bogged waggxx waggon etc now & then dead
horses & mules. One can't help appreciating
the labouring corps, in my opinion they
have that Branch of the service more
thoroughly organised than any other
Immdiately they see a shell hole or
a boggy place for traffic, they are
on to it like ants - wooden planks
brush or metal. Light railways they
throw down like lightning.
7/10/17 Had a good doss last night
beng being clerk secured a spot in the
Officer's pillbox. Still raining & absolutely
miserable outside, in here we are
fairly dry. Not very lively so far as
regards the guns, hope it continues so.
Received 2 letters from Home, one from
[[??]] & one from Ronnie

Ronnie evidently rode agr across to
the DAC the day after I was
 

67 

transported to the Battery. It was
rotten luck missing him, but had just returned
from a second trip to Blighty & Glasgow
lucky beggar. Hope it wont be long
before we pull out & I drop across him.
They are evidently attached to the 2^nd
Division, I'm in the 3^rd. Bitterly
cold now, can write no longer.
8/10/17 Had another good night, this xxxx concrete
dugout, or pillbox I should say, is a regular
Godsend, besides being dry, one feels fairly
safe. So far Fritz has been shelling
short & well over us, none too close to the
Battery. The mud is still awful, its
simply sick to watch the packhorses &
mules floundering along with ammunition.
In several instances they have been
completely bogged, its a case then of throw
off everything. The stretcher bearers are
having an awful time, it takes about
 

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six men to every case. It kept fine
until this afternoon when rain again
set in. We tried to get a gun into
position today but had to give it
up on account of the mud. The
main stunt starts at daybreak, I
fancy the slush has hastened plans
it will be almost an impossibility to
shift the guns for a couple of days even 
if the rain knocks off now, I should think.
Ammunition has to come up tonight,
don't envy the poor drivers their job.
9/10/17. The stunt took place this morning
and as far as I can hear was successful
Apparently only the Tommies hopped
over, so there is more work in store
for our Infantry later. Fritz is
not giving in without a scrap, we
have had three calls from the
Infantry since tea, goodness

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knows who not how many more
will be received during the night
I hear another move forward for us
is to take place, I'm not in love with

shifts forward, had too many of late.

Give anything for a hot bath & a hair
cut now, my hair will almost
plait. No rain today for a change
still slushy, but another dry day will
make a great improvement in things
10/10/17 A frightful number of wounded Tommies
have been coming down today, evidently some
mismanagement occurred, one Battalion was
over an hour late getting into the line.
The Tommies appear poor specimens, Fritz
broke through again so our boys went
up tonight. I believe the machine guns
played havoc with the Tommies [[?]]
to the [[?]] they have been dropping the
wounded with our doctor in xxx lieu of there their
 

70
 own dressing station. Some of the poor
beggars have been lying on stretchers
outside our pillbox for hours waiting
their turn. We have been supplying
them with cigarettes to lessen the
monotony a little. Fritz is fighting
desperately for the last ridge before
Ypres, that taken, he has to retire
some miles over marshy plains. The
next two days will probably decide
things. I doubt now if we will move
its impossible to shift the guns in
time. Fritz had a balloon up &
evidently saw our boys going in, he sent
over a solid barrage, I haven't heard how
they got on. Whilst pitying the Tommy

Infantry here, one can't help feeling disgusted
with them at times, they're like a lot of
sheep. They are really not to be compared
xxxx xxxx with our fellows & I fancy
 

71

nobody realizes it more than Fritz.
Rained a little today, but the night
has turned out very fine.
11/10/17 The Tommies have pretty well cleared
all their wounded away now. They are
a useless lot the Tommies about here, they
give one the pip. Our boys are going
in tonight, the big stunt eventuates
tomorrow morning. fritz has been
shelling consistently all day, all
over the shop, as if he was uneasy
& didn't know which way to fire.
Slush xxx still bad.
12/10/17. Last night Fritz lobbed
a shell just outside our pillbox,
there was a shower of dirt, the only
result thank goodness. The big stunt

started this morning, at first Fritz
retaliated a good deal but has
now shortened his range. he got
 

72
a direct hit this morning on one

of the 108^th guns - next to ours,
killing one man. No particulars
re the success or otherwise of the
stunt yet. We are all fully
confident about our men & the New
Zealanders. I suppose solid counter-
attacks will continue throughout
the day & night. One of our planes

came a cropper about 100 yards
away, it must have fallen during
the night, both occupants escaped
unharmed.
13/10/17. The rain yesterday practically
spoilt the stunt, our men got it hot
but still did good work from all
accounts. Reinforcements are going
up tonight, poor beggars this
rotten rain is still on. Fritz may
have retired as his guns have
 

73
been silent all the afternoon
14/10/17

Turned out fine this morning
may it continue so. Both sides hardly
fired a shot last night, it was
exceptionally quiet. Our pillbox
leaked a treat all night, the rain
from the previous day evidently found
its way through the cracks. We had
to put our oil sheets over our
blankets, luckily I was looking after
a fellow who is on Paris leave, so
laced the two together.
fritz threw his heavy stuff 4.2, 5.9,
& 8 inch over a treat this afternoon
getting almost on to the Batteries.
He knocked one gun of the 26^th &
set the camouflage (a covering over the gun)
alight on one of ours. This Battery of
theirs has been a nuisance all along.
I hope our Aeroplanes pick it up shortly