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At 5.30 sharp all the machine guns in creation seemed to open fire from behind (overhead) and we started over. About two minutes later the artillery started and hell was let loose. It was impossible to give an order. I got caught in our own barbed wire and had to pull through somehow and there we were in no mans land and into his front and second lines before we knew it. We were supposed to wait several times for the Barrage to move on but the men would not wait and walked right into it and as usual some shells fell short. About 500 yards out a man 15 yards behind me was killed by one and a piece of casing struck me on the back of my left shoulder. I thought it was broken but wiggled my fingers so decided it was only a chunk of mud. I did not think I was really wounded at the time. I then found I had to move around a crater and believed our objective was just beyond it. About half way down the side another shell burst to my right and a second later I was struck in the thigh. I took one step on it and it crumpled up and down I went into a shell hole.