Wednesday August 16, 1916

Well, we have shifted at last. The battalion moved out at 5:30 a.m. and moved north east through Scottish Wood, the old trenches, Voormezeele past the Convent Wall, our some more trenches and out to the Canal at the Bluff. Here there is a wonderful underground system of galleries forty feet deep, and these branch galleries are lined with double bunks, two tiers high. To get to the bluff, we had to cross this big Belgian ship Canal. It is now practically empty of water and lined all along one side by a whole bunch of burrows in the bank. We scampered down the one bank, crossed a little bridge and into a small opening in the other side wall. We walked through a short tunnel to the far side of the further bank. The bridge we crossed to get there had been condemned because the Fritzies had fixed rifles and machine guns playing on it continually. Nevertheless, we were led across. I just got across as a regular hail of bullets came rattling down between the massive stone canal walls.

Well, we walked along a little trench railway till we came to our new home beneath the Bluff. We had a rotten trip out we walked nearly four hours without a stop, full kit. Our shoulders were nearly cut through; or at least they felt that way. We got there by about 10 p.m. At midnight, I was on a working party for an 8 hour shift. Luckily there was no material so we all got back home and went to bed.