2/ house standing up near the road. In the dark it looked sound but I guess daylight would have shown many holes caused by fragments of shells. These fragments are some times terrible things, often weighing serveral pounds & with long Jagged teeth on them. It looks as if this effect is gained by folding & welding the steel when it is cold. Certainly they are terrible looking things & how they do sing & hum as they whiss past you. On the Somme we had some great night dodging death & fritz shells of all sorts. I have had no very close shaves though one night a whiss-Bang ( a small high speed shell) took the top of the parapet over my head & coverd me with dirt & rocks we were coming out & had stopped & crouched down as there was a spasam of shell fire. If I had been standing up it would have got me certainly