THE WAR DIARY OF HERBERT BAILEY

August 1918 In The Vicinity Of Amiens, Northern France
Our good time that was to be is brought to an abrupt conclusion; the whole mob of us have to get a move on and take over a number of bridges in the neighbourhood to guard. These bridges are all mined and ready for immediate demolition, it's one of our duties to destroy them, also to prevent any interference from strangers. Should the unexpected happen we have to blow them up in front of the advancing enemy immediately our troops are on the safe side, and get away as best we can, and if we can, providing we don't go up with the bridge. All this is of course necessary, to impede the enemy's progress as much as possible.
This job too is of short duration, for we have sudden orders to dismantle charges and mines as quickly as possible and get back to join up with the Company by midnight. A truly impossible task, considering the nature of the job and the time given. We set to work right away but to make matters worse it comes on to rain. There are tunnels leading from the charges to a distance from the bridges. These are choked full with sandbags which have been there sufficiently long enough to just get rotten, so the tamping all has to be clawed out by some other means. Here are we, working, sweating, crawling and swearing, passing the soil from hand to hand and so burrowing our way towards the mines. the air isn't too good at times and a candle refuses to burn. We have to crawl or drag ourselves out for a while to get a blow; it isn't the amount of soil that's to be moved that takes the time, but the crawling attitude we have to be in all the time. We eventually get to the mines, which have to be handled with great care and passed from hand to hand along the tunnel. A rather creepy job this, in two respects. We're creeping naturally and there's a creepy feeling for with the faintest jolt a detonator may go off and then there's nothing surer than the whole lot of us would go off too, well I don't know where, but to all parts I expect. There's several tons of explosives in these few bridges. It's all out, loaded up and secure.
We proceed towards home and arrive there at 5.30 am, thinking to snatch a few hours rest, but no, we are told the whole Company is moving out and to proceed towards the line almost immediately. We've just been slogging all round the clock twice and now have to get on again. Our heads must have absolute confidence in what is going to take place otherwise the bridges would never be left unguarded and the mines withdrawn. Possibly the men are wanted and it wouldn't be safe to leave the mines in and unprotected or they might get tampered with.
Well this is the end of our so called spell and I believe during the time it's been on, the greater part of the men have worked considerably harder than at any other time. Well off we go again, this time we're told what is to be our destination and given the opportunity of getting there individually. We are, I suppose, by now to be pretty well acquainted with the district around. One hasn't to go far before he can pick up a lorry going his way. I soon board one and with several others have the good fortune to get taken to within a very few yards of our destination B…….y. We have to fix up here as best we can in the remains of some old outbuildings preparatory to proceeding to the line. This place like most others is about knocked all to pieces.
The following day we get served out with Iron Rations, which means to us that there's something doing. We're told Reveille will be at 2.30 am the following morning, breakfast and turn out in battle order immediately afterwards. We get off before daybreak and are well on the way. Dark moving forms and groups are to be discerned everywhere. apparently springing from nowhere, all are heading in the same direction and are eventually made out to be masses of troops all in battle array.
All one's surroundings are alive with a human mass. The droning of aircraft fills the air and everywhere is great activity. We reach a sunken road in which we take a rest well before the day has broken. While here the bombardment opens, throwing up a barrage behind which the Infantry advance. We get a move on again and follow up, there's been a little rain and now the mist is rather heavy, rendering it bad for observation and very heavy travelling. The boys are slipping and sliding all over the place, occasionally some are going full sprawl, muttered curses are heard, but all goes well. Fritz replies, but feebly, perhaps taken by surprise, perhaps has some other card up his sleeve to play.
As we proceed, the transport is all following up with great rapidity, even now lots of the guns have ceased to fire and are preparing to make a further advance, surely a good sign. One soon sees evidence of the shellfire - dead and wounded horses and a few men are seen that have been knocked, but very few considering the colossal nature of the affair. All appears to work splendidly and the boys continue to advance, having met with verv little resistance up to now.
We soon get treated to another sight, coming up to an advanced Surgical Aid Post we see lots of cases being brought in, some walked limping, others being borne on stretchers - both our own men and the Germans, one can see our boys assisting a wounded German and often vice versa. Prisoners are now seen coming in all directions with very little escort, some even coming on their own. Good evidence of our boys' success, they appear to have been caught napping and quite by surprise.
Everything is working with great regularity and following up. The tanks are perfect marvels, they can get anywhere and nothing seems to be able to oppose them. Walking over trenches, shell holes etc. as easy as one would step over a piece of string, pushing over other obstacles and climbing almost perpendicular banks, with great ease. We get to work fixing up roads etc that are got in a frightful mess, pitted with shell holes everywhere, making it more difficult for transport. Several ambulances are bogged in the holes with their human freight of serious cases; we assist in helping and dragging them out.
There's lots more Germans to be seen round about here now than our own men; been disarmed of course and sent to the rear. For the most part, they appear to be perfectly contented with their lot. For so far as they are concerned, the war is now over and some of them admit they've had a belly full of it, others are still confident that with time they'll win. They appear to have been gulled a good deal and have some queer impressions of how things really stand. Several thousands of them pass by us during the day and we constantly get word that all is going well up in the front. The forward troops have gained their objective long ago, are resting and the work being carried forward with fresh men. One is struck very much by there being so few casualties on an affray of such magnitude.

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