14 October 1915

HELLES - Ordinary Seaman Joseph Murray, Hood Battalion, 2nd Brigade, RND attached to VIII Corps Mining Engineers - On 14 October Murray was working on bombing saps in the front line. The front line in the Gully Ravine sector was becoming a maze of trenches.

Back in the firing line (we seem to live here!) as this is a new mining area we found things to be fairly quiet apart from bombing day and night. The front line is like a dog’s hind leg and is subjected to enfilade fire from every direction. We began by sapping under the parapet, leaving a foot or so of soil on top as covering. The distance we covered was governed by the proximity of the opposing trenches. On an average they were about ten yards. When the required distance has been reached, the roof is brought down - during the hours of darkness of course. The disadvantage of this method is that the bombing sap is shallow because of the absence of the wall of excavated earth that would normally have been thrown up instead of being carried away during the making, but the advantage is that the sap is made without casualty and is not i easy to see owing to the absence of this earthwork above the level of the ground.

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SOURCE:
"Gallipoli As I Saw It" by Joseph Murray (William Kimber: London 1965), p.162.