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washing day.

Friday was a great day - first we learnt the best positions to adopt when taking cover behind sandbags, then we had a splendid lesson in bayonet work. Then we were sent to the bottom of a deep trench twenty at a time, the first ten to be heaved out over the parapet by the other ten when ten more jumped in and took their places. After scrambling out we charged in line bayonetting enemy straw sacks and jumping trenches finishing with a wide shallow trench in which we had to land with our bayonet in the enemy before our feet touched the ground. Then they took us over a course of seven foot deep trenches which we had to jump first without, then with a rifle and again with rifle and bayonet fixed. The last trench eight feet wide with a bad take off was a beast and more than one man landed in the bottom. They finished the day with an awful course leaping into seven foot trenches bayonet first without an instant hesitation. There was a nice crop of sprained ankles but nothing happened to Brown or I. I always believe in looking where I am going and don't see the use of a man with a sprained ankle.

Saturday we had a lesson in bombing with real bombs. I could only think of Teddy Payne. Then we had a demonstration of trench clearing with bomb and bayonet against an enemy throwing bombs. It seemed a bit tricky especially when a dummy bomb burst just between the feet of the men waiting with fixed bayonets. It was a wonder noone was stuck. The instruction is all so interesting that the time passes like a flash. If only we had instruction like these in Canada.

Have you seen the Punch joke of the wounded Tommy who was asked if he had ever killed a German, "Well once my mate says to me, "Shake your bayonet Bill, there's six of 'em on it".