Thursday September 28, 1916

Today was a continuation of yesterday's programme, that of standing to. At about 3 p.m. we moved off, 26 batt'n in reserve to 2nd Div. Went up the chalk pit road out on the hills on the other side of Albert. Then at 10:45 p.m. we started off under a guide for the front line where we were to take part of a communication trench, and a fortified road teeing across the end of it. Thru' fault of our guide, we got there about 6 a.m. instead of about 2:30 a.m. We immediately attacked up the road and strongly held ridge in front. But growing daylight gave us away, and Fritzie opened up on us with machine gun and rifle fire. Many of us were picked off as we started to scramble down the road again about 1½ miles through the mud. I just had a scratch thank God. For most of the day we hid in the dug outs along the road, trying to get away from the persistent snipers. I like to be absolutely fair, but Fritzie is no sport. He sniped off more than one stretcher bearer visiting the wounded fellows in the dugouts. Our boys showed up well, in persisting to rescue wounded men in the open under heavy sniping. I managed to work my way down the road, dodging from dugout to shell hole to a much safer place, and there stayed till dark. From there we saw right in front of us an aeroplane (French) brought down. The man was evidently wounded for he came down right in front of Fritzie's line. Heavy rifle fire was opened on him. Then about a dozen short range shrapnel shells blew the machine to pieces. How we strafed those Germ-(h)uns.