Reproduced by kind permission of Percy B. Allsup. Transcript © Andrew C. Jackson 2000.
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Embarked at Devonport at 10.30AM Sunday 19/12/15. Sailed from Devonport at 10.50PM 19/12/15. Escorted by 2 Destroyers for 2 days. Sighted land. (Starboard Side) North Africa 22/12/15. Arrived Gibraltar at 10.30PM 23/12/15. Sighted Land (North Africa) for 3 days 24.25.26 Dec. Escorted by 2 destroyers: The Acorn 0.2 & Sheldrake 88:B8. Arrived Malta 9.40AM [27th Dec.] and was anchored in the Grand Harbour. Sailed from Malta at 8.30AM [29th Dec.] without escort. No 15835 Pte J. Wixted X Coy died at sea 8.30PM 29/12/15 buried at sea at 6.30AM 30/12/15, buried aft at Port Side. Attacked by submarine at 9.45AM 31/12/15. Torpedo missed by about 15 yds. Danger Signals Hoisted. All men mustered to their posts.
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 Above: The S.S. Ionic on which most of the Accrington Pals travelled to Egypt.
Photograph courtesy of Dennis Hounsell. |
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Jan 1st |
We arrived in Alexandria at 11.45AM, a grand sight, stayed in harbour all day. |
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Jan 2nd |
Tugged to the Quayside, stayed there all day, had our first day of rain here. |
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Jan 3rd |
Went a short march on dock side for exercise, saw some queer sights of the natives and their houses. |
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Jan 4th |
Set sail from Alexandria at 3PM, a very rough sea, most of the boys sick including myself. |
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Jan 5th |
Arrived Port Said at 8.30AM, started disembarking about dinner-time and arrived in camp at 2PM which was close to the docks. |
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Jan 6th |
Parade at 9.0AM, Colonel speaks about things we have to avoid in town, putting one part of town out of bounds called Arab Quarters. |
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Jan 7th |
Ordinary drill, same in after., very hot. |
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Jan 8th |
Ordinary Routines. |
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Jan 9th |
Church Parade. |
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Jan 10th |
Parade at 9.0AM for Route March on sea shore (very hot). |
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Jan 11th |
Parade 9.0AM Inspection. |
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Jan 12th |
No Parade in morning, bathing Parade in afternoon. |
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Jan 13th |
Physical drill 8.0AM, company drill in afternoon. |
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Jan 14th |
Parade 9.30AM. Bathing parade. No parade in afternoon. |
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Jan 15th |
Cleaning up, inspection. |
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Jan 16th |
Church parade, afternoon Football Match 11th East Lancs v 10th East Yorks, we won 5-2. |
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Jan 17th |
Ordinary Routines. |
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Jan 18th |
Inspected by Sir Archibald Murray (General). |
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Jan 19th |
Short Route March, finished for the day. |
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Jan 20th |
Parade 9.0AM Swedish Drill, afternoon Coy Drill. |
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Jan 21st |
Got issued out with cigs & tobaccoe for the first time, inspection of lines. |
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Jan 22nd |
6th East Lancs & South Lancs arrived in our camp from the Dardenelles. |
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Jan 23rd |
Afternoon played 6th East Lancs Football, we won 13-1. |
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Jan 24th |
Starts raining at breakfast, afternoon packing Mess Stuff on station ready for morning. |
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Jan 25th |
Very rough weather, everything packed on train ready for moving off on our trip up country to El Ferdan which was our destination, we spent 6 hours waiting to be taken across the Suez Canal, arriving in camp 4.0PM. |
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Jan 26th |
Raining all day, tidying things up. |
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Jan 27th |
Rifle Inspection & also kit. |
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Jan 28th |
No Parade in morning, afternoon Physical. |
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Jan 29th |
Washing Day, very hot weather. |
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Jan 30th |
Parade 9.0AM Coy Off. disposal, bit of arms Drill in afternoon. |
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Jan 31st |
Pontoon Bridge across canal made by the Australians. |
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Feb 1st |
Parade 9.0. Signalling Drill, afternoon sun bathe. |
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Feb 2nd |
Saw two British Warships pass down the Canal, Jupiter & Implacable. |
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Feb 3rd |
Saw SS Ionic pass down, Coy Drill in afternoon. |
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Feb 4th |
Saw (Monitor) Sir Thomas Picton, also troopship (Alexandra). No Parade. |
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Feb 5th |
Indian Ship passed down (Mercara), also passenger ship (City of Roona), starts raining at tea time. |
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Feb 6th |
(Sunday) saw troopship (Nesta), also passenger ship Manwa. Church Parade. |
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Feb 7th |
Inspection of Rifles. Company & Plattoon Drill. |
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Feb 8th |
Parade 2.0PM. Lecture on care of arms. |
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Feb 9th |
Move again up the country to Railhead. |
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Feb 10th |
Camel Fatigue. Water Fantassies. |
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Feb 11th |
Tidying up Officers Mess. |
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Feb 12th |
Camel Fatigue. |
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Feb 13th |
Same as usual. |
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Feb 14th |
Watching Mirrorgraph Signaling Station right out on the desert, also camel Fatigue. |
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Feb 15th |
Aeroplane Guard. |
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Feb 16th |
Camel Fatigue. |
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Feb 17th |
Making roof on Off. Mess |
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Feb 18th |
Making a hut for the staff. |
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Feb 19th |
Up at 2.0AM, and Batt. falls in 5.0AM, marched to El Ferdan, very tired, sleep again in the open. |
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Feb 20th |
Revally 2.0AM, fall in 5.0AM to march to Kantara, got about 4 mls when transport had to turn back on account of dyke arrived. Arrived at 12 noon dead tired, sleep out in open again. |
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Feb 21st |
Pack up ready for marching off at 7.0AM, hard march, arrived at camp at Hill 108 about 11AM, many men fell out, the sun scorching. |
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Feb 22nd |
Straightening up all day. |
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Feb 23rd |
Anniversary of our leaving Chorley for Carnarvon, one of our Officers died (Lieut Mitchell) through an accident on the railway, he was very well liked and his death was deeply regretted by all the Battallion. |
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Feb 24th |
Canteen Opened. Ordinary Routine. |
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Feb 25th |
Ordinary Routine. |
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Feb 26th |
Ordinary Routine. |
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Feb 27th |
Packing up all day (Sunday). |
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Feb 28th |
Leave Hill 108 for Kantara to await orders for leaving the country. |
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Feb 29th |
The Colonel told us that our Division had been chosen out of an Army Corps to go to France, which is a proud thing for us, and both the General & the Colonel were greatly pleased and he expressed thanks to our Batt. of which he is very proud. |
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March 1st |
Ordinary Routines. |
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March 2nd |
Left Kantara for Port Said on the train where we embarked on the Llandovery Castle in the afternoon, 2600 troops aboard, set sail in the evening at 9.0PM.
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 Above: The S.S. Llandovery Castle. Photograph courtesy of Dennis Hounsell. |
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March 3rd |
Sea Choppy, many sick, felt alright myself. |
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March 5th |
Gangway duty, very cold. |
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March 6th |
(Monday). Saw the hills on the Northern Coast of Africa, afternoon alarm went, also issued out with new clothing, very cold & raining. |
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March 7th |
Saw French destroyers, weather fair. |
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March 8th |
(Wed). Arrived in Marsailles [Marseilles] harbour 8.0AM, on ship all day. |
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March 9th |
Disembarked and entrained for our depot 1.45PM, passed through a very long tunnel. |
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March 10th |
Still travelling by train. |
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March 11th |
Still travelling by train until 3.30PM where we got off at Pont Remy station. |
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March 11 mls to Huppy village where we was billeted in barns, I had a good nights sleep. |
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March 13th |
Kit Inspection. |
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March 14th |
Parade 9.0AM. Rapid Firing Exercise. Same in afternoon. |
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March 15th |
Parade 9.30 Company Drill. Afternoon same. |
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March 16th |
Parade 8.30. Route March, went about 12 mls past many French Motor Convoys, also Indian Patrols besides English Transports, some of them made at Leyland, got back about 1.30PM very tired, rest in afternoon. A Guard from Y. Coy. went at 8.30PM to a place near Paris on Munition Guard, also X. Coy. went nearer the fighting line doing fatigue work. |
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March 17th |
Parade 9.0AM Company Drill. Trench digging in afternoon. |
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March 18th |
Trench digging, afternoon Gas Helmet Practise. |
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March 19th |
Parade 9.30AM. Church Service. |
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March 20th |
Parade 9.0AM Pay, afternoon Firing on Range, 15 Rounds. |
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March 21st |
Orderly for billet. |
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March 22nd |
Stitching Gas Helmet. Pockets in tunic. |
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March 23rd |
Filling Trenches in. |
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March 24th |
No Parade (Snowing) all day. |
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March 25th |
Route March. |
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March 26th |
Left Huppy 8.0AM, marched 12 mls. Reached Humpreys [Longpré-les-Corps-Saints] 3.30PM, billeted in barn for the night. |
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March 27th |
Left Humpreys [Longpré] 8.30, marched 11 mls, reached Vignacourt 2.0PM, billeted in barns on wire netting bens for the night. |
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March 28th |
Left Vignacourt 8.0AM, marched 13 mls to Beauval 1.0AM, billeted in same arrangements. |
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March 29th |
Left Beauval 8.0AM, marched 14 mls, reached Bertrancourt 2.30PM, billeted in huts. |
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March 30th |
Parade 9.0AM. Rifle Inspection & Iron rations. Parade 2.0PM. Lecture by Colonel Rickman on what he saw in the trenches. |
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March 31st |
Parade 8.45AM, first gas practise in hut. No Parade in afternoon. |
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April 1st |
Parade 9.30AM. Pay, moved out of huts into barns. |
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April 2nd |
Parade 9.30AM. Church Parade. Parade again 2.30PM. Gas Helmet Pract. |
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April 3rd |
Fall in 11.45AM. Full Pack, moved away from Bertrancourt 3.0PM, reached Collinscamp [Colincamps] 5.0PM, picked out as bomber. |
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April 4th |
Start on a course of bombing. Parade 9.0AM. Throwing Dummies. Parade 2.0PM, instructions with live bomb. |
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April 5th |
Parade 9.0AM, same as latter. |
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April 6th |
Same as usual, about 8.30PM our artillery start work, we had to stand to in trenches behind billets expecting our friends retalliating, everything passed off alright, went back into billets for the night. |
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April 7th |
Parade 9.0AM, instructions on bombing in trenches. Parade 2.0PM, same as usual. |
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April 8th |
Parade 9.0AM, throwing bombs in trenches & instructions on rifle grenades, same in afternoon. |
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April 9th |
Parade 9.0AM, instructions on stick grenade, afternoon throwing bombs into trenches. |
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April 10th |
Parade 9.0AM. Passing examination on Grenades, afternoon exam. on throwing one live bomb each. |
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April 11th |
Raining all morning, no parade. |
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April 12th |
Parade 9.30AM, moving back to Bertrancourt to rest camp, reached Bertrancourt 10.30AM to wait until 2.30PM until W Yorks moved out of huts. |
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April 13th |
Parade 9.0AM, digging trenches near the third line, rest in afternoon. |
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April 14th |
Parade 11.30AM. Fatigue duty emptying wagons of stone at Collinscamp [Colincamps], on Guard Orderly all night. |
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April 15th |
Off Duty all day. |
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April 16th |
Hut Orderly. Church Parade in the morning. Parade 5.40PM, digging in third line trenches, finished 11.0PM, got back to huts 12.30PM [12.30AM]. |
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April 17th |
Rest through day. Parade 9.30PM, digging again in third line, wet through again, relieved at 3.00AM. |
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April 18th |
Got back 5.0AM, rest through day. |
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April 19th |
Parade 9.30PM. Digging in trenches again, wet through once more, got back 5.0AM, no sleep that day. |
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April 20th |
Fatigue 11.0AM. Parade 2.30PM. Parade 9.30PM, digging in trenches, got back 1.30AM. |
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April 21st |
Parade 9.30AM, bomb Practise. |
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April 22nd |
No Parade. |
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April 23rd |
Parade 11.0AM. Digging trenches a few miles away. Parade 6.30PM, digging in third line, finished 11.30PM, got back 1.30AM. |
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April 24th |
No Parade, went to concert at Y.M.C.A. 6.30PM given by our band. |
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April 25th |
Parade 7.30AM, dismissed. On Parade again at 6.30, digging in third line, got back at 1.30AM. |
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April 26th |
Orderly Parade 1.0PM, dismissed. |
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April 27th |
Parade 8.0AM, digging in trenches till 2.30PM, got back 3.30PM. Parade 8.0PM, digging in trenches, got back 1.30AM. |
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April 28th |
Packing up. Relieving trenches, got in first line 4.0PM, took over from W Yorks, our section took No 12 Post over, about 200 yds from enemy's lines, very quiet all night, odd ones from working parties bobbing up now & again.
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April 29th |
Stand down 4.30AM, very hot all through day, picked out for Lieut. Observer, went first rounds with him, came back to No 12 Post and took sentry on at end of communication trench, night very quiet until 11.30PM when our artillery started straffing which ceased at 12.30PM [12.30AM], enemy retalliated in few places, one shell dropped close by us while on sentry duty, and very lucky for us, as it was a dud, sniper at back very busy at intervals. |
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April 30th |
Stand down at 4.0AM, went rounds with Officer, same at night, slight artillery fire moving, on duty all night. |
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