4th September 1914

The Germans are on to us has been the cry since we left Dour in Belgium on Monday 24th August and the troops have been very severely tried in this retiring movement, no doubt, as reported, having a most important bearing on the war, and we have been constantly in touch with the unflinching, unceasing, not-to-be-impeded body of stolid Germans, whom nothing seems to stop, who go on over the thousands of their slain with an invincible purpose, but the question is, Where are we leading them? Perhaps the answer to this will also become history, who can tell! How little we know of what is really going on. What we know is that since our retirement from Dour we are never at rest, but that we must be ready to move off again at a moment's notice and we move our camps at all sorts of hours. Regarding the fighting, the German losses were enormous. We seem, though retiring and leading on the German hosts, to get the best regarding casualties and wounded. The Germans were probably aware of our numbers wounded. It has been remarked that it was a thousand to one against any of us escaping from Dour had the Germans known how small out number, which I understand was in the proportion. of 1 to 40 against us engaged at the battle of Mons and Dour.

6 pm still at Coulommiers in a field. German biplane passed overhead and fired at. Leave COULOMMIERS at 11 pm and march all night until 9 am. Passed through CRECY 1.20 am, and FAVIERES. A considerable part of our route lay through forests. A very dreary, tiring march, we suffered much from want of sleep. The moon shining very brightly through the trees produced a very weird effect. Beautiful and well kept forests, the moon shining very brightly the whole journey.