An AIF soldiers diary WWI
I love reading my books and over the years have put together a modest collection of 1st Ed's detailing the AIF, soldiers & nurses journeys in WWI.
I understand what people say and think about the WWII conflict and I am not trying to compare one with the other, just outlining the simple truths from one at the pointy end.
The book is called "Backs To The Wall" written by G D Mitchell of the AIF. (He survived the conflict.)
They have gone through Flers and were near Delville wood he is now walking towards Albert. This is directly from his diary he kept with him on the front line page 52.
"8 February,
Everything is blasted and shattered. Not a whole tree nor whole brick. Destruction can go no further. And the iron grip of the frost is on everything. In this part of the Somme, from Fricourt to the line, one seems to have passed beyond the gates of life.
For all the bustle of traffic, for all the labour of men, death seems to hover in the steely air. It seems that we can never return to our pleasant paths and beautiful places. Our generation is being sacrificed on a bloody altar.
Our fathers, and our fathers' father went their ways, and lived to their allotted spans. We in this mad world, are doomed to walk the red road, from which there is no turning back. Our friends fall beneath the hail of fire and steel. We go on alone, among strangers who knew them not, with only our memories for company to the inevitable end, where we, too, will fall and merge unheeded with the earth again."
I find this so open and raw that one cannot but imagine the utter heart felt hopelessness of it all.
He describes being up to mud to his chest, being so deathly tired, blown up and punched into the mud, walking on top of corpses in the mud and other horrid happenings. (In 52 pgs only just started the book)
I just thought it would be good to share this insight as sadly no longer are they here to tell us of what they endured, may they find peace forever eternally.
