Temporary HQ, the return of McNair and a Bolshevik Bombing

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“During Saturday the 28^th only three wounded passed through my hands. They weren’t badly hurt, and I got them sent off to Seletskoe comfortably in carts well filled with hay. I got an aid-post of sorts fixed up by the road-side by means of two tarpaulins and branches of fir-trees. It was quite a cosy spot by the time we had finished with it. Another tarpaulin acted as H.Q. In the morning the Americans twice attempted to cross the river on rafts, but were repulsed on both occasions by the very heavy enemy artillery and M.G. fire. But they couldn’t have tried very hard for they had no casualties on either occasion! McNair arrived in the forenoon, and told me that he had brought a small hospital boat up to Seletskoe, and got my wounded away all right. He also brought me a note from the A.D.M.S. telling me to establish a twenty-five bedded hospital at Seletskoe, and that all necessary equipment was on its way up. I therefore sent a message down to Little, the American doctor, telling him to come up and take my place whilst I superintended the forming of a hospital at Seletskoe. After tea I had a walk up to the advanced positions by the river-side to see the Americans and tell them where to send their wounded. Whilst I was on my way a Bolo. plane flew over, and dropped four bombs which were intended for our transport, but all of which fell in the woods some distance from the road. One was a ‘dud’. The last one I thought was coming bang on top of me, and I threw myself into the ditch by the road-side with the ‘wind-up’ properly. I got badly soaked, and the bomb exploded about a verst away from me! Scott got a small mail up in the afternoon, and I enjoyed reading the Edinburgh Evening Dispatch of August 26^th date. Jerome joined us at night, his job at Seletskoe having been taken over by an A.S.C. officer -2 /Lt. Perott. A wireless section joined us also, but brought no aerials with them – so were wireless! I had a good sleep at night in front of our excellent log fire in spite of the fact that it froze hard.”

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