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its chewed up ground, it was hard to realize that there was a war on. Why a fellow could walk through acres of growing grain and never come across even a shell hole. Pound the R.A.P. alright, it being another radical departure from what we’d been accustomed to. As a general rule- up till then invariably, in fact- a R.A.P. is established in a dugout or pill box. Here we found the M.O, sitting on the side of a "cross country" road, with no covering or protection whatsoever, and a. couple of stretcher cases on the grass beside him. "Pretty warm work, eh boys" was his greeting, Itsurely was too, for we had each toted an empty stretcher up from Lemmin, and as the kid will inform you even an empty stretcher is no light load. We scattered out from there searching in the fields of grain for wounded. Located quite 8 few Heinies, but at that stafe of the game, it was a case of our own menfirst, so we left them there, but not without attending to their wounds and propping up a rifle to guide up hack to them, when we had cleared all the "49ers". Made about four trips down into lemmier, then managed to flag one of our ambulances.. Had been living onPritzie’s iron rations all day-- his bread is awful, and I’m certain his "bully" is nothing more or less than horseflesh. Ho rations had
come up for us from the unit-- nothing strange in that, is there kid?
- and the outlook for any that night was pretty slim. So under the circumstances I figured the best thing I could do was to go back to hqrs. and register a kiok.
flagged the O.C., told him our troubles, and, as I might have expected, received the news that he would go back with me on a
oar. You see, I’d told him that we were making long carries unnecessarily, as a car could easily cone up to the R.A.P. Had a bite to
eat, tried to pry some rations out of our sergt. cook for the other
boys but failed. Rations weren’t in. By this time the O.C, was ready, and as I had told him there at least ten stretcher cases up -
there when I left, he had two cars make the trip. I took the first
car with "Pat", and don’t mind saying that more than once I came to the conclusion that I wvs on the wrong road. My lucky star was in the assendancy though, and just before dusk we rolled up to the R.A.P, to find, to my relief, that there were eight cases waiting. I quietly effaced myself while the O.C, was having a com fab with the M.O,, for fear he would want me to guide the cars out again, a feat I had grave doubts of being able to accomplish.
After the card had gone I discovered that my squad wasn’t among those present. I told "Davy" that I had left them down in Lemmin, and he agreed with me that the best thing I could do would be to shunt down there and bring them back. Having been on the go since four o’clock that morning, by thistime I was commencing to feel tirea and in addition was experiencing difficulty in breathing. Oouldn^t draw a long "breath without hacing a sharp pain in the side, and when I’d take a false step with a stretcher on my shoulder, ye gods.® it stabbedme like a knife. However I went down to nien, .hunted all around the aid post where I’d left them, couldn’t find them, so gave it up as a bad job, and started on the uphill climb back to the R.A.P,
I was almighty tired by this ‘time, and it being dark, I wasn’t able^to see the holes in the road, and as a consequence put in a pretty rotton hour with my side. Told Davy I couldn’t findthem,, then turned in, in
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