Enemy shelling our place vigorously, we are replying. Horrible din. I go up to observation post. Enemy shelling front line, Zollerngraben and Fabeckgraben*, etc with a murderous fire. Our guns are silent for what seems a horrible period then – Fritz knows what followed. The battlefield looks horrible, many mangled corpses are lying about. I return after getting information & on way back have to dodge many shells. One poor fellow is killed by shrapnel & covered in blood (a man of the 31st) he is buried by roadside. A shell bursts not far from us and fragments cut a piece out of a man’s head, others are wounded. Many men on verge of madness & crying thro’ shell shock.
The innocent horses are [?] but very brave. Rations are up & I root out the reluctant, hesitating men to get them in. Action must be quick as horses get nervous. Rations in, I dispatch the driver to Albert by a shorter road.
Get some warm tea at […….?] Cook house. First since we came here.

*named German trenches