LETTERS FROM WWI: Sapper Frederick Austin

"A terrible bombardment began, saturating our lines with high-explosive and gas shells. A dense fog then set in, so dense that you could see only a few yards ahead. The fog lifted a little and we saw thousands of German advancing with machine guns and rifles. Our section officers gave us the order to fire three rounds rapid and retire. We did this, and as we got out of the trench we were mown down by machine gun fire.

I remember seeing most of my comrades lying shot through the head, when I felt a stinging sensation in my neck, but do not remember anything more. When I came around, I found myself on top of hundreds of dead bodies, both English and German.

My boots and greatcoat had been taken. My tunic was still intact and my paybook still inside my pocket. The Germans were stacking the corpses for removal and burial. I made myself known that I was still alive and a German doctor bandaged me up and said what a lucky fellow I was (in English).” - Sapper Frederick Austin, 104 Field Company Royal Engineers, 2nd Battle of Somme, France, March 21, 1918