It was clear that others had come that way because there were about 20 vehicles stuck in approximately the same place, mostly carriers, and abandoned. After a futile attempt to extricate mine I gave orders to leave it, and unfortunately most of the equipment. Rather a tragedy because the carrier and equipment was the BC's, though he did not give this much consideration at the time; the immediate area was being shelled very heavily. There was no sign of Capt Welsh: I therefore assumed that he had found a better way out then I had, and proceeded to march my party back. We cut across to the main road and managed to stop a carrier approximately at the area of the checkpoint: it already had about eight men on it but they were making themselves so small that we climbed on. The general noise was still so great that a close shell burst could only be distinguished by a fountain of earth and not by its nearby explosion.
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The first troops we came to were the gunners of 449 Battery, and there we dismounted. I found Capt Welsh and his party already there intact, and the gunners firing hard. The BC and GPO were away recce-ing gun positions in rear. Capt Welsh and I walked round the gun detachments and told them that they had done a very fine job. He and I were convinced that the Lincs had put up an absolutely magnificent fight, and that a lot of Bosche had been killed. We found that a direct hit on one of the F Troop guns had wounded five men, all of whom were evacuated.
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Capt Welsh and I went to the Bty CP where we ate a very welcome tea and issued orders for further fire in the Sedjenane area. This was later reported to us, by a sapper officer who had been mining the road, as very successful in causing large explosions in the target area. Orders from RHQ were that the guns were not to go below 40 rpg so at that point, Capt Welsh ordered up vehicles and gave the order to 'Cease Fire, Limber up'. We talked to a Guards officer, who, with an advance party, was recce-ing positions for his battalion in the area of the present gun position. The Guards were moving up from Kasserine in TCVs and had had a very bad pounding on their journey from enemy air attack and had suffered fairly heavy casualties. They were, however, very cheerful and confident.
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From this point my memories of the move back of the guns, occupation etc, are extremely hazy as I was very tired. I had had no sleep at all for the last four days and nights and only one night's rest since the morning of February 26th--the night 27th-28th. I moved back with the column in my carrier to the gun position and after the occupation (in the position later to be known as Sleepy Valley--a most inappropriate name). I returned to the waggon lines which remained the same, now in front of the guns, and got down to sleep.
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NEXT PAGE: Sedjenane Aftermath, March 5th-7th 1943.
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