our front trench. The Turks must have known that fresh troops had taken over. At 2.5 p.m. they opened up with such a fusillade of fire & bombing as would startle any veteran. Its intensity was terrific & so deafening that we couldn't hear each other speak. It was our 'B; Squadron that were in the line under their O/C Major G.H. Bourne. What an initiation. The wounded were coming out in an almost continuous stream for five minutes. Lieut E. G. G. Boyd, Sergt D.O. Butler (761) Tpr G. H. Robertson (378) Tpr. J. C. Cobon (310) all four seriously. Then L. Corp. Mal McDougall (365) Tpr H. A. Clark (558) Tpr H. Sinclair (388) & then more lightly Tprs. R. J. Oscroft (653) W. Browning (301) J. W. Boadle (296) and J. Teddiman (393) Lieut Boyd had been in the trenches three minutes when he started retaliation with his revolver over the parapet. His forearm was at once shot through & afterwards amputated: he saw no more war. It was Captain Luther who helped us through. Round the trenches he went shouting to our men. "This is all a ruse. They know you are new & are trying to bluff you. Don't fire – lie doggo".removed duplicate of "Tpr H. Sinclair (558)"
