Hell on Earth in the Dug-outs
Simply Hell on Earth
Skegness Man’s Account of Huge Bombardment
[Extract from letter from Sergt. G. A. Forsyth (son of D. C. Forsyth, of Holyrood, St. Andrew's Drive, Skegness and London).]
16/12/1916
Dear Mother, – This is the first real opportunity I have had of writing for nearly a week, as we are now back in camp. We moved up into the Reserves on Friday, and no doubt as you have seen by the papers, it has been simply terrific since. We were in a wood in dug-outs, and the Germans started an awful bombardment last Saturday afternoon and then all Sunday – Sunday lasted nine and a half hours, and it is estimated they dropped 8,000 shells over and amongst us. It was simply hell on earth, and I never want to experience anything like it again. One of our poor fellows went bang off his head, and although our casualties were practically nil we all expected any moment would be our last.
Monday, however, we had our own back and any man in the German trenches who got out alive must consider himself lucky as out Artillery fire must have been worse, if possible, than what we suffered on Sunday. Old hands out here have never seen anything so bad: to add to our discomfort it snowed, then turned to rain.
Anyway, cheer up, all at home, we are quite cheerful here.
Au revoir.
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