February 14 Eritrea.

We had made our way through the Sudan after three or four times of being in action and we went straight into action out side Keren,We were under heavy gunfire on 14 feb and it was my turn to go to the cookhouse for a meal,there were about thirty of us sitting in a circle having our bully and biscuits when a shell exploded amongst us.
the man next to me had a piece of shrapnel through his right eye and out by his ear his right leg had been shattered I was half carrying and half dragging him away from the cookhouse where shells were still exploding. and first aid men came rushing up to render help,a young highland soldier lying close to me had his stomach torn open and he was trying to hold his entrails in he was asking for water which we could not give ,then he started crying for his mother, a very short time later he died.It was then I looked at my left leg and there was blood running down my leg I had sustained a wound enough to put me into hospital for a month.
But the very next day my gun got a direct hit, one gunner was killed instantly and three more gunners off my gun came into first aid but
they died the following day.
If I had not gone to the cookhouse on the 14 feb I would have been killed.