Diary Entry - 3rd September, 1916

Sunday, I was at the OP and was joined by Major Powell from the 71st about ten a.m. The morning was quiet and the 71st dotted a few shells about every now and then. Armytage came up at two p.m., bringing his revolver with him and we spent the rest of the day shooting rats through the loop hole. Various game came along - an old hawk came fater the rats, and a hare also trotted past, but we could not hit them, as the loop hole made the shooting difficult. At six, Bosche started shelling us, and we retired to the dug out. He shelled all over the place, with lachrimatory searching right back to the battery positions. About six thirty, he hit a dug out entrance at the guns, where three men were standing. Br Clements was killed and the other two men badly shaken and suffering with the tear shell in their eyes. They stopped shelling the OP at seven but started very heavily on the front line with minnen wurvers [?] and ever description of heavy shell, fairly flattening it out. It was only on about 500 yards of trench but you could not see anything for smoke on that particular part of the line. We all fired but did as much good as a rifle would do firing into a mob of ducks. The heavies were what was wanted to retaliate on them with. I was relieved by Cruikshank at eight fifteen. He came up to sleep the night as we take it in turns with the 71st.