March 07, 1918 James Sansom: Three miles from the front line. We stay here till the evening of the 8th when we stretcher bearers start for the reserve lines to form an ADS [Advanced Dressing Station]

March 9th: We soon get among the bullets and shells. The attack was made on Johnny’s positions at 5am and we have to begin bringing in the wounded which is exceptionally hard owing to the hilly nature of the country.

We make up enough to eat by buying oranges from the natives. Some of the fellows think nothing of eating 15-20 a day.

Footnote: At the start of 1918 #Portland quarry worker Jim Sansom had been a stretcherbearer with the BEF in the heat of Egypt for two years. 20 of "our fellows" got Typhus and 4 died in January but after isolation and rest we were marching back to the front by early Spring.