Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-24
Stories of the War
Advanced in Sea of Death.

A wounded sub-altern of the Scot tish Border Regiment has written home:
 Never again in my life do want to go through such unaduIterated hell. We entered our assembly trenches in a wood (nicknamed here 'sBlighty' on account of its Unhealthiness) on Friday at II D. m. The din of our own bat teries forbade sleep. as did also Q few gas shells which MT. Fritz distributed around us at early dawn. He then commenced searching the wood to try and knock out our batteries, which were evidently making him very un- comfortable and angry. Fifty mine "brumps" and lightning "Whiz- bangs" burst right over us, felling two big trees, but strange to say, wounding only one man.
 At a. m. our artillery commenced its hurricane bOnbardment, which lasted an hour and a half. I can't describe the internal din. but the near est 1 can get is the roar of 1000 trains going through a tunnel and multiplied by 100i At about a. m. our gunners hit q Boche land mine about two miles off, and the ground shook like an earthquake. We thought all our as sembly trenches would collapse on top Of us. At 7.15 a. m. our guns found another land mine, which went up with terrific roar, accompanied by the be- fore mentioned earthquake effect. (We now learn that these mines were the largest ever exploded in this war so far.)
 At 7.30 a m. our A. Company left the trenches and marched through the wood to the corner where they were to debOEch and went out into the open. D and B Companies followed suit, and then c Company, which concerns my self. Our half-rnile march through the wood was enough to break ones nerve right away, for machine guns were pouring lead all through the wood from every direction, and how we got through that bit without a single cas- ualty is Q mystery. We arrived at our debouching point, which by this time was being snelIed with high explosives and Shrapnel, as well as being the target for 10 BoChe machine guns which made the open ground a sea of death.
 It was a distasteful task leading my men out, but It had to be done, as the - Regiment were waiting behind to follow up the Borders. We had gone about 30 yards when three of nuy brave lads were killed outright. I then halted the men and made them crawl on their stomachs another 20 yards, where we found cover in some shell craters. Men were falling everywhere. Then shrapneI burst overhead, knocking out some of my brave fellows, killing three of them. One of them next to me had his skull telescoped by a huge shell splinter. got a small fro gnent in most unrOmantic spot it rendered sitting pain-which, how ever, did not worry me much.
 I then gave tbe signal to advance, | and to their everlasting credit not a man held back. Before we had gone another 100 yards I found few survt- vorS of A platoon. We got into an other shell crater just as a lad was hit in the arm by a machine gun bullet. | hanHa hi s best we could and then a big Shrapnel beast burst right in front of us and we got the full blast. Mcknight, the corporal, had his thigh smashed and arm broken and I got a clout behind the right ear with a splinter which knocked me silly.
 I awoke to find myself alone in the shell crater with my head roughly 1 bandaged. Mcknight must have bandaged me and ther himself and, thinking me dead, crawled back to the wood. I tried to stand up, but every thing seemed to reel about me, so I lOosened my equipment, and after a drink from my water bottle began the longest" journey l ever wish to make, 1 crawling on hands and knees back to the wood i
 The accursed machine guns were sending up dirt all around me. and why I am not riddled through and through is perfectly marvellous thing. If God ever watched over any man He watched over me last Saturday on that never tO-be forgotten morning, l passed 1 first one of my fine fellows, then an- other, some doubled up others lying stiff, but all "gone West" as bravely as any men in our finest Guards regi- 1 ments.
 On my way I met one of my ser geants with half his face blown away. ] Do you know that this man wanted to 1 carry me, and got quite angry when ! told him that it was he who wanted l carrying? Never shall I forget the | grit of that splendid chap, and I hope | I shall meet him one day again in i 'sRlightV"