We marched off in the twilight and came to Festubert village. It was too early to go in yet so we lay in the grass at the side of the road for about 1/2 hour. I was rather excited about going into action and I sniffed the breeze to get the smell of the powder. Finally we set off up a lane. We spread out to 4 paces interval and filed into the trenches. It was a strange feeling.

The Germans shelled all night. I was on sentry in the trenches. At 4 AM on May 20th the German fire increased and was directed to our section of the trench--4 men were wounded about 5 feet from me. After about an hour the fire slackened off and it was quiet till about 9 AM when the "Jack Johnsons" began to arrive again. A German sniper started shooting the wounded men out in front. A lot of our fellows went out after the sniper but I don't know whether they got him or not.

We were in a German trench that the British had taken shortly before and the parapet was our paradis. This meant that we had comparatively little shelter. The dugouts were simply wooden structures built into the old parapet and were not even shrapnel proof. How different were these German shelters of 1915 from the deep dugouts of Somme fame in 1916. We dug holes in the back of the old parapet and pulled iron snipers plates over the holes to stop shrapnel. I lay in one of these holes while off duty and shivered with fright.

It was nerve wracking to see men killed near you for the first time. Cliff Brereton's chum was killed on the 20th--many of the Ft. Garry draft were wounded that night. I was detailed to go out for rations. It seemed to me impossible to go out and not get killed but we did. After we got back we told to stand by for B Co. to attack. No attack came off because the scouts discovered there hadn't been sufficient preparation.

The Germans started to shell heavily and Rankin didn't want to go back. I said I was going and he said he wouldn't let me go alone. We got to what we called "Willow Road" and found the barrage was too heavy so we got behind a straw stack. Almost as soon as we got settled a shell burst on Rankin's legs and wounding men on each side of me. I put a tournaquet on the legs which were horribly mangled and with the help of a fellow who was there carried him to the dressing station. Rankin died in the dressing station. I couldn't go back to the line as the barrage was too heavy. I was so all in I lay down in the dressing room.