Diary Entry - 24th June, 1916

The men went on with their pits in the morning, just finishing off and making everything secure. At 5 pm, Hoyland and I were on the control top (the cupola containing telephone, tubes and bells to all the gun pits) and the ball opened soon after that hour. As soon as Suttie had the guns warm and the corrector, there were not many alterations, and we got off the first 400 rounds by four forty-five. We had a half an hour interval to enable the men to have tea, then began on the second 400, finishing off about six forty-five. Bosche was quite tame and hardly put a shell over and never even tried to find us.