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Friday August 20th

Surveyed Dragoon Alley & Boyles Farm - Lunch with Pete [MacDonald] - Jacket all bloodstained - Had carried the body of Maj. Marcom to Ration Farm - Both officers shot to pieces almost. While sheltering at Boyles Farm met Lieut. Fisher of the "Buffs" Very effable, much to the surprise of his Tommies - Gave us afternoon tea. His men called me "sir" for the rest of the day.

At noon exactly the Germans on the Messines slope started hurrahing - German snipers in our salient in front of Trench 142. - only 120 yds from our occupied line. Much shooting at aeroplanes - several fragments of shell fall very close to me. Had a strong premonition I would be hit today - resolve that forebodings are just a mental state.

15th Batt. didnt get settled down until 930pm Many dugouts flooded. Dragoon Alley liquid mud over the boot tops - Boys have no blankets yet. Only desultory shelling - into Hill 63 & Chateau at 630 Germans throw a few "Coal Boxes" along Chateau Ridge & set a building on fire at Neuve Eglise.

BC Archives, MS-0392 Box 1 Volume 4 / FRANK SWANNELL PAPERS / Diary and enclosures, 1915.