Tuesday 21st September 1915

I was fascinated by the comment posted on 17th and would love to know more, but am unable to respond directly to the comment. Could I ask the contributor if they would be prepared to contact me via b.smith@theskiptonacademy.co.uk in order that we might exchange more information? Thanks.

Front line trenches near Bois Grenier.

The British bombardment ahead of the planned attack intensified, with heavy shelling of the German lines taking place day and night. The impact of the bombardment, however, was limited and it was noted that, ‘our guns were bursting shrapnel in the enemy wire, but did not cut it very much’.  There was a limited response from the German guns, although one shell did destroy a water storage tank at Water Farm, which had been used to supply the men in the front line. The impact of this was noted in a subsequent letter by Tunstill’s Man, Pte. Harry Horner (see 13th May), ‘We were very lucky for water, as there was a farm just behind where we could get it. The Germans have shelled it and now we cannot get water there; we have to carry it about a mile’.  Pte Johnny Smith (see 16^th September) also wrote to his family on a similar theme, ‘The other day they got to know where we got our water from and they were not long before they were shelling it, and put two shells through the water tank’.  Attempts were made to protect the one remaining water tank with sand-bags, but had to be abandoned because of the continued German shelling.