Chapter 18: THE AMERICANS ARRIVE - WITH UNFORTUNATE RESULTS

About the first day of august we were manning an Observation Post, in Nine Elms Trench, looking out over a valley - No Man's Land, about five hundred yards wide - with the town of Albert visible in the distance. It was our custom to keep this OP as inconspicuous as possible. I had come into possession of a German periscope, an instrument about two feet in length; one fixed this between two sandbags, looking through the loser eye piece with the top just over the parapet, well camouflaged.

All was very quiet when up came five American Army officers through the communication trench. They were from the 27TH (New York) Division - this was the first time any of them had reached the front line. We cauti9oned them to be careful, but as no immediate fire was forthcoming, they became increasingly rash and even spread a large white map on top of the parapet, asking us for identification of various features on the ground.

Ten minutes after our visitors took their departure. Just after our new allies were well clear, we were treated to a real concentration of German 5.9's, real big stuff. My signaler was wounded, and at least two of our nearby infantry were killed. Part of the trench collapsed on me but I was quickly dug clear by our men, from the Manchester Regiment. Our line to the battery was cut. I waited till things calmed down a bit before managing to get a message to the gun position - GPO Sending out men to undertake repairs.

Field Marshall Foch had now taken over Supreme Command and we were beginning to think the tide has turned at last; but nobody, in our outfit, dreamed that the war could be over before Christmas.