"A4" to "A7." Three days later 2nd Lieuts. H. Moss, N.C. Stoneham and
C.B. Clay joined us, and were posted to "A," "D" and "B" Companies
respectively. At the same time 2nd Lieut. J.D. Hills was appointed
Brigade Intelligence Officer, a new post just introduced by General
Kemp.

We suffered the usual scattered shelling and trench mortaring during the
first half of the tour, to which our Artillery could only reply lightly
because they were saving ammunition for an organised bombardment further
North. However, no serious damage was done, so this did not matter. The
bombardment took place at dawn on the 1st September, and in reply the
Germans, instead of shelling the left as was expected, concentrated all
their efforts on the "50," "A1" corner, starting with salvoes of
whizz-bangs, and finishing with a heavy shoot, 8", 5.9" and shrapnel,
from 10.45 to mid-day. Our Artillery replied at once, but nothing would
stop the Boche, who had the most extraordinary good fortune in hitting
our dug-outs, causing many casualties. 2nd Lieut. Clay, not yet 24 hours
in trenches, was among the first to be wounded, and soon afterwards
Serjt. B. Smith, of "B" Company, received a bad wound, to which he
succumbed a few hours later. In "A" Company, except for C.S.M. Gorse's
and the Signallers', every dug-out was hit, and C.E. Scott and F.W.
Pringle, the two officers' batmen, were killed, while A.H. Cassell was
badly wounded. The officers themselves had two miraculous escapes.
First, 2nd Lieuts. Tomson and Moss were sitting in their dug-out, when a
5.9" dud passed straight through the roof and on into the ground almost
grazing 2nd Lieut. Tomson's side. These two then went round to wake
Capt. Hastings, who was resting in another dug-out, and the three had
only just left, when this too was blown in, burying Capt. Hastings' Sam
Browne belt and all his papers. Many brave deeds were done during the
shelling, two of which stand out. T. Whitbread, of "A" Company, hearing