8Pozières, Wednesday, 26 July 1916
‘What’s going on, Sarge?’ Lofty asked. ‘It’s been too quiet. They must have something planned for us.’
The battalion was in the reserve trenches known as Sausage Valley, about a mile back from the village of Pozières. Little remained of the village, which had been shelled by both the British and the Germans since 19 July. The 1st Australian Division had captured it on the 23rd, but the ridge behind it that dominated the surrounding country was still in German hands.
John laughed and asked, ‘Where the hell have you been, Lofty? Didn’t you hear Fritz shelling fit to bust his gut? He’s been at it all day.’
‘That was over at Pozières village. Nothing for us to worry about. I heard last night’s attack was a fizzer and I’ve been waiting for Fritz to pay us
