I’m on sentry at 12 to 1 pm. Lots of sniping. It rains during the afternoon and all night. About 6 pm the Germans give us a shower of bombs and we reply with our trench mortars. ‘Tis raining hard. A regular battle is raging. We are wet and covered all over in wet slimy mud. Rifle choked. The engagement dies down. I am on sentry with Private Dermot at 2:54 am. Snipers very busy and accurate. I go along ammunition trench about a mile long – alone – to report message to Headquarters.
*Ross Rifle – The Ross Rifle was a bolt-action rifle produced in Canada and used by Canadian troops during WWI. Before the war the Ross Rifle was highly successful in target shooting. However it was poorly suited for trench warfare as it was easily jammed by mud and dirt. Many Canadian troops preferred the Lee Enfield rifle that was becoming standard across the British Empire, often taking the rifles from British casualties. In July of 1916 the replacement of all Ross rifles with Lee Enfields was ordered, though some snipers continued to use the Ross rifle due to its exceptional accuracy at long ranges.
