to-night; the last--just in--says there have
been five people wounded in the town by this peppering--one killed. I
don't know if civilians or soldiers.
That bombardment on Sunday morning was the biggest any one has ever
heard,--more guns on smaller space, and more shells per minute.
Nine officers have "died of wounds" here since Sunday, and the tenth
will not live to see daylight. There is an attack on to-night. This has
been a ghastly week, and now it is beginning again.
The other two Sisters had quite a nasty time last night lying in bed,
waiting for the shells to burst in their rooms. They do sound exactly as
if they are coming your way and nowhere else!
I rather think they are dropping some in again to-night, but they are
not close enough to hear the whistle, only the bangs.
There is an officer in to-night with a wound in the hand and shoulder
from a shell which killed eleven of his men, and another who went to
see four of his platoon in a house at the exact moment when a percussion
shell went on the same errand; the whole house sat down, and the five
were wounded--none killed.
_Saturday, May 15th_, 10 P.M.--Tension up again like last Saturday.
Another TAG is happening to-morrow. Every one except three sick
downstairs has been evacuated, and they have made accommodation for 1000
at the French Hospital, which is the 4th F.A. main dressing station, and
headquarters. All officers, whether seriously or slightly wounded, are
to be taken there to be dressed by the M.O.'s in the specially-arranged
dressing-rooms, and then sent on to us to be put to bed and coped with.
Now we have got some French batteries of 75's in our lines to pound the
earthworks which protect the enemy's buried machine-guns, which are the
most murderous and deadly of all their clever arrangements, and to stop
up the holes through which they are fired. We have also got more
Divisions in it along the same front, and our heavy guns and all our
batteries in better positions.
Some more regiments have been called up in a hurry, and empty
ammunition-carts are galloping back already.
This morning I took some white lilac to the graves of our 12 officers
who "died of wounds." Their names and regiments were on their crosses,
and "Died of wounds.--F.A.," and R.I.P. It was better to see them like
that Pro Patria than in those few awful days here.
10.30.--Just admitted a gunner suffering from shock alone--no
wound--completely knocked out; he c
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