Hi chums, sorry about not writing sooner but I've been out of sorts following the Pilkem battle. I'm getting myself sorted out now and putting myself back on the horse again as you could say.
Well the rest of the Pilkem story is as harrowing as the first part. I last wrote to you about the 7th and how we were in the Trenches getting bombarded by the Hun and repulsing an attack. Well chums it got worse!
After the attack of 3:20 pm, that we repulsed, the Hun continued shelling us. We kept our heads down in the dugout. Then some time later we started to hear shouting, the shouting of our pals further up the trench. It seemed pretty frantic and desperate shouting, a pleading for help. Not the sort from injured men but the sort that was shouting for assistance to do a job. Bloody hell its a shout to arms to help repulse the Hun again.
We shot out of the dugout to see what was happening. The shelling was still going on but we could make out the some of our pals were in a scrap with the Hun. They were in a sap further down the line. The Hun had broken in and they were fighting hand to hand. We rushed to help them.
As we arrived it was a scene of complete mayhem. There was our blokes grappling with the Hun. There were bodies all over, injured men and dead men. Bullets and bombs were whistling all over the place. Explosions, smoke and showers of steel and muck were flying all over.
I got my new Mills bombs out and started throwing them for all I was worth. I was aiming beyond the fray into the Hun area, any that were following up would get smashed by my bombs. Some of my fellow mates had brought bombs up with them but they hadn't familiarized themselves with the weapon. Some threw them without arming them and others armed them but waited too long before throwing so that they went off over head or too near for comfort.
We'd previously had Rifle grenades but these Mills Bombs were hand thrown grenades. They had a pin on them that you pulled out to arm them. There was a lever that you held down to stop the fuse from working. Once you let go of the lever the fuse was set off. Several seconds later the bomb went off.
I'd familiarized myself with them and knew what was what, but a lot of my fellow soldiers hadn't and it had a devastating effect. Some poor chaps further back got blown up by one going off because the bomber had pulled the pin but hadn't hold the handle down, he kept it too long before deciding to throw it. Some bombs went off overhead and showered both the Hun and our men with hot steel. Some exploded nearby and sent everyone flying. It was a tragic farce. Had it not been for our men and the Hun being on top of each other it would have been disastrous just for us. As it was both got injured equally.
I shouted to my chums to hold the lever down, pull the plug and then throw. The chaps soon got the idea, they had to otherwise they were dead. Unfortunately many men that day died because of not knowing how to handle this new bomb.
Once we got the bomb sorted and lobbed quite a few over into the advancing Hun it had a devastating affect upon them. My fellow mates got stuck into those that were left in our part of the sap. Some men of C Company turned up to assist us. HQ had sent them when they saw what was happening. Our artillery also opened up on the Huns at the end of the sap. We retreated into our own trenches, the shelling by our artillery was becoming too dangerous.
We had to leave some of our blokes there. They were dead and we couldn't do anything for them. The poor buggers were now going to have their bodies smashed to bits by our own artillery. What a bloody war.
We retired to our dugout. The Hun was incessantly shelling us. He was mightily sore about us having taken his trenches and repulsing his attacks.
The day wore on, the Hun was trying to blast us out and grind us down but we weren't having it. Many more times that day he tried to rush our lines. He went mainly for the centre where D Company was. He attempted full frontal assaults. It seemed like madness to me.
The Hun gave us warning that an attack was coming by switching to shelling us with shrapnel and firing shells into our rear lines. As soon as the shrapnel stopped we were up and out shooting and bombing for all we were worth. Our machine gunners joined in and the artillery blasted the Hun front lines. It was withering fire and the Hun was repulsed each time.
We used so many bombs that we had to have many supplies brought up to us during the day. The chaps that did so we're brave soles. The Hun hadn't let up with his shelling so they were likely to be blown to kingdom come if they got hit by a shell or a well aimed bullet.
We had further attacks by the Hun. He came over the barricade at the end of our Trench. This is where it continued straight into their Trench. It was grisly hand to hand fighting each time and we used plenty of bombs to repulse him. He returned our favour and hurled many a bomb into our Trench. It was complete carnage at times with the bodies of the dead that littered the trench being blown apart. There were bits of men flying high in the air, chunks of flesh here and there and arms, legs and heads scattered across the terrain. I truly though I was in hell.
It was only 9:00pm on the 7th. I felt like it had been an eternity. Maybe I was in hell, maybe I was dead and this was purgatory. I wasnt that lucky, I was still alive and I had the night to look forward to!
Well chums I'll continue this saga over the next few days. If you are wondering where I am now, I'm in a place called Forceville. The battalion moved here on the 22nd. We haven't been in the front line since Pilkem. Were not that much of a fighting force at the moment. Pilkem has devastated our numbers.
So chums I bid you farewell again and speak to you soon,
Albert x
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