2/Lieutenant Oliver Baldwin's 'Letter to Father', Cambrai 27th October 1918

Darling Father, At 5:15a.m. on the 27th of September when you were asleep, your son 2nd in command for the day of the 1st Guards Light Trench Mortar Battery was croaching in a 3 foot trench with the Irish Guards, smoking one one of his grandfather's cigars, waiting for 'zero' & under-going a slight German barrage. At 5:20 a.m. ('zero')a noise like six trains rushing through a narrow tunnel, coal being thrown downstairs, pots & pans being upset etc., etc rent the air. In other words our barrage of 9.2", 6" and 4.2" howitzers, 60 and 18 pounder, machine gun & every gun on our sector tore 'No mans land' & the canal bank to pieces-&we(as they say in the paper)'went over the top.' How we got through the wire & the German barrage of 'Minnies' I cannot tell, but we leapt into our first trench for a pause. This trench was receiving direct hits-one in the next bay to me & one on the parados wherein all went dark & I thought I was finished; but only covered with dirt. I thought it was time to get out so I led the battery to the canal............. ORB