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Trenches 134-142

August 1915

Half-day in trenches - Spent afternoon plotting in the General's bedroom - 2 6" HE. shells come over at 2 pm. - one landing directly in front & other directly behind battery 150 yds back of La Petite Munque where we are. Splinters drop all around but nobody hurt - the 3rd shot, if it had come, would have got the battery sure. The court-martial in the garden beat a hurried and undignified retreat for shelter.

Baxter & I in trenches all day - Exceedingly hot work - Start chained compass traverse, throwing tape over traverse or chaining in rear of firing trench 'at the double'. Manage to get 100 foot chords in most places - Pretty risky chaining down ditch of Messines Road, as raked by fire of two German high-command trenches.

Gen. Leckie very appreciative of the work Canon Scott tells us of his visit to Ypres and how a shell crashed through roof of crypt killing 60 soldiers sheltering there.

Half day in trenches surveying Dragoon Alley get deliberately sniped at several times - Now expert at bobbing up & reading prismatic like greased lightning. Under cover I get dial approx. bearing - then Baxter holds bayonet above parapet ahead & I bob up & clamp exact bearing. Baxter takes some awful risks dashing across with the chain. Germans shelling Ploegsteert today. Start plotting map - Make Gen Leckie sketch proposed new trench.

Palethorpe of the 30th killed near me at Nellis Walk - Got through the head by a sniper. Sniper at Romarin chez Flore - shown draft of letter to Ada "Pour la fête de baptême ils avaient une bouteille du vin de Malage ce qu'ils boivent très rârement. Dereumaux

Pailthorpe killed

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