Page:The North Carolina Historical Review - Volume 1, Number 1.pdf/60

58 would be sent out later. I gave my orders for the Regiment, and returned to Division Headquarters with Major Pope via Headquarters of the 39th British Division. We had to arrange for horse shoes and equipment with which to put our horses in shape. This was arranged by sending men and shoeing outfits from the British Train, from the 118th Infantry. We ordered shoeing to begin at daylight. I had to make arrangements for transporting my sick from Regimental Camp to Divisional Headquarters and for taking care of my extra supplies that were not to be taken to the front. I left Division Headquarters at 9 p. m. for Regimental Camp, stopping en route at Licque Hospital where I arranged for two ambulances to come over the next morning to Sanghen and get my sick men and those unable to walk and take them to Division Headquarters. Reached camp about ten and from then to midnight was completing plans of the march. The last order was sent to Company Commanders at 11:45 p. m. I slept on the floor of office wrapped in my blankets. An airplane had to come down, near First Battalion this afternoon. It was en route for England to be left for general repairs. The aviator was to bring back a new one. We put a guard over the machine and arranged to send the aviator over to an aviation base where nearly all the machines report when en route to England. The aviator was only recently out of the hospital. He had been wounded while attacking a trench. Several machines form a line and at a certain signal all dive toward the trench firing their machine guns. They sometimes go as low as 75 feet above the trenches and then dash upward at a terrific speed. This method of attack is also used against marching troops.

Came near having a bad accident today. The entrance to my office is only about five feet and eleven inches high. In entering the office this afternoon I was walking rapidly and failed to stoop sufficiently to clear the door frame, with the result that I received a very severe blow on top of the head that nearly knocked me over. I had on the heavy campaign hat that saved me from a very bad wound. My head ached some and felt sore but I did not pay much attention to it. At supper it began to hurt some and I began to feel faint and sick at my stomach.