Thursday 1st
Had 2 hrs drill this morning. Same old thing. Rifle exercises by numbers. Had the afternoon off. Another roll to day. Played the men at football this evening and reversed the result. We won by 1 to 0. Had a cold bath after. It was fine.
Friday 2nd
Spent an easy day to day. I had no working parties or parades to do. So had a short country ramble. Sgt Hawke rejoined us this afternoon & has been posted to No 3 Platoon. Had a good supper to night of rabbit & peaches & custard.
Saturday 3rd
Another working party this morning. Near Souastre digging a trench for telephone wires. I attend. Afternoon free except for a rifle inspection & a bit more about smoke helmets. Played the transport at football after tea & beat them by 3 to 1. Not much of a game. I played left back. Start cleaning up for guard on the morrow.
Sunday 4th
On Guard to day at Henu. Left St Amand at 9 o’clock & reached Henu at 9.45. Relieved Johnny Fox. Some guard judging by the noise. Am guarding the General of the division & the chateau where he hangs out. Cushy guard. Nothing doing. Very windy in the night.
Monday 5th
Dawn broke very cloudy & later on it commenced to rain but cleared up before I was relieved. Sgt West relieved me. He arrived before I was ready. But I soon got ready and we changed in style. Were paid after dinner & we celebrated it by a good supper. Sausages & tomatoe sauce & mashed potatoes. Peaches & Custard & Vin Blanc. Played the Privates of our Coy at football after tea. After an hours played the score was 1 each. We played an extra ½ hour but could not alter the score.
Tuesday 6th
Working party up the quarries at Henu. All day affair. When we got there it started raining so we sheltered. We made several attempts to start work by owing to the rain we had to pack up at dinner time. Cleared up after dinner. Played the Sigs after tea. A good game. We lost by 2 to 1. Only had 9 men first half. I played back.
Wednesday 7th
Working party on the cable trench this morning. Rather dull day. About 12.30 down came the soup so we packed up. Fine again by the time we got back. At 5.30 the batt. Paraded to see the presentation of cards to those men who distinguished themselves on the working party. Cpl Beach was the only one in A Coy. Had a bath to night.
Had 2 hrs drill this morning. Same old thing. Rifle exercises by numbers. Had the afternoon off. Another roll to day. Played the men at football this evening and reversed the result. We won by 1 to 0. Had a cold bath after. It was fine.
Friday 2nd
Spent an easy day to day. I had no working parties or parades to do. So had a short country ramble. Sgt Hawke rejoined us this afternoon & has been posted to No 3 Platoon. Had a good supper to night of rabbit & peaches & custard.
Saturday 3rd
Another working party this morning. Near Souastre digging a trench for telephone wires. I attend. Afternoon free except for a rifle inspection & a bit more about smoke helmets. Played the transport at football after tea & beat them by 3 to 1. Not much of a game. I played left back. Start cleaning up for guard on the morrow.
Sunday 4th
On Guard to day at Henu. Left St Amand at 9 o’clock & reached Henu at 9.45. Relieved Johnny Fox. Some guard judging by the noise. Am guarding the General of the division & the chateau where he hangs out. Cushy guard. Nothing doing. Very windy in the night.
Monday 5th
Dawn broke very cloudy & later on it commenced to rain but cleared up before I was relieved. Sgt West relieved me. He arrived before I was ready. But I soon got ready and we changed in style. Were paid after dinner & we celebrated it by a good supper. Sausages & tomatoe sauce & mashed potatoes. Peaches & Custard & Vin Blanc. Played the Privates of our Coy at football after tea. After an hours played the score was 1 each. We played an extra ½ hour but could not alter the score.
Tuesday 6th
Working party up the quarries at Henu. All day affair. When we got there it started raining so we sheltered. We made several attempts to start work by owing to the rain we had to pack up at dinner time. Cleared up after dinner. Played the Sigs after tea. A good game. We lost by 2 to 1. Only had 9 men first half. I played back.
Wednesday 7th
Working party on the cable trench this morning. Rather dull day. About 12.30 down came the soup so we packed up. Fine again by the time we got back. At 5.30 the batt. Paraded to see the presentation of cards to those men who distinguished themselves on the working party. Cpl Beach was the only one in A Coy. Had a bath to night.
Thursday 8th
Visit the Quarries to day to a little work. Had a stroll round and found a lovely little glade. Like the Goyt valley. Rather showery.
Friday 9th
Again visit the Quarries. Had a stroll round the woods & got lost, were away 1 ½ hrs. Went out to dinner. Had hot rolls, fried eggs & coffee. Played C Coy at football to night. Very unsatisfactory game. We lost 3 to 1. I again played back.
Saturday 10th
No working party to day. We go out to night instead. So one or two paltry parades arranged. But Bridge came over to inspect Gas Helmets & it raining heavily parades got cancelled. Cleared up a bit before we went out on the working party. To the left of the Corderoy track where we are working Cable track. Very quiet & Got slightly wet.
Sunday 11th
Had breakfast in bed ! this morning. Got up at 11.30 then the S.M had to lecture us at 12 o’clock. That lasted an hour then we got the news to be on parade at 1.30. Had to rush about to gratify the whim of a pompous monied Ld Mayor of London. After standing on parade for 3 hrs & he not turning up we chucked the game up. Off out again to night at 6.30. Same place. Very quiet.
Monday 12th
Got in at 2AM. Had some custard & tea. Roused up at 8AM for rolls draw rations etc. Those that have not been out do not care a scrap about the sleep of those that have. What a Whit Monday to be remembered. Rained nearly all day. Started raining again when we started on our working party. About 11 o’clock it was a soaker. Packed up at 11.30. What a game coming home. Could hardly keep our feet. The worst working party I have been on.
Tuesday 13th
Got back about 2AM drenched. But the worse the conditions are the better the spirit of the men. We were singing all the way home. And it was raining hard & pitch dark. When we got in we heard that we are out again to night. We had been dwelling on false hopes. Could not get up until 10.30 as we were having our clothes dried. Kit inspection at 2 o’clock. I touched lucky and did not go out on working party to night. Plenty of rain to day.
Wednesday 14th
Nothing to do until 2.30 PM. Then I took 80 men down to the baths at Sailly. When we got their found that they had shifted but eventually found the place. Got back in time for pay. Then went and had supper at an estamient. No working party at all to night. At 11 o’clock the time was advanced one hour.
Thursday 15th
We have been done out of an hours sleep. Got up at ½ past 5 & really it was ½ past 4. All on a working party to day at Sailly. Making a cutting for a light railway. The rain keeps off. Knocked off at 3 o’clock. Got back about 5PM. At 6.30 feet & Gas Helmet inspection. It seems funny going to bed while it is still light. The boys are not used to it yet. They kept roaming about after 9 o’clock.
Friday 16th
Working party today in F.S.M.O. I touch lucky being B.O.S. But spend a busy morning inspecting billets. We leave St Amand at 2 o’clock. Lovely wooded country we march through. Arrive at St Halloy about 5 o’clock. Billeted in huts. Some of the others arrive at 7 o’clock & some at 8 o’clock. Got to bed at 10PM. Cold sleeping.
Saturday 17th
Florrie’s Birthday. Spent to day inspecting models of the German line about Hebuterne. Also took the platoon over them. That kept us occupied until 6PM. Then had tea & visited the canteen. Uproar in the middle of the night. A few of the CSM & 2 M Sgts got well oiled and came in our hut. Our Quarter slung one of them out. At the finish we had to fetch our Officers to them. So did not get much sleep.
Sunday 18th
Still doing working parties. Start out at 7.30 for Pas. F.S.M.O without packs. Lovely little town is Pas. Right in the middle of a forest & down in a valley. Loading up logs. Had a few drinks after tea. About 8 PM we saw an aeroplane fight. Very exciting. We brought him down.
Monday 19th
I have a days holiday to day. So lay in until 9.30. After dinner we had to go to the baths at Pas. Jolly fine bath. The band played us back. Got back about 6 PM.
Tuesday 20th
Another holiday to day. Rev at 5AM. But we don’t get up until 7AM. At 10 we have to over the trenches again. Pay after dinner. Then I cleaned up for Guard. Had to turn out once to the smouldering ruins, but soon settled that.
Wednesday 21st
Had a fire going all night so did not worry about the cold. The Coy moved off at 6AM. I follow at 2 PM. Another moving day. Dismissed the Guard at 2PM. Then I took my men on to Maunolicourt where the Coy was unloading trains. Immense RE stores there. Had a high tea Lettuce, Peaches & Cherries & biscuits. Left there about 6PM reaching Henu at 7.30. But were not allowed to go into the village.
Thursday 22nd
Had a longer lay in this morning getting up at about 8.30 instead of 6.30. Lovely warm day. Had a stroll down to the village before dinner. On the move again before 4 o’clock. Marched to Sailly. Reached there about 7PM. Billeted there for the night.
Friday 23rd
Very Hot first thing. Aeroplanes very active. This afternoon we had a heavy thunder storm. It came down in sheets. The thunder was continuous. Never heard anything like it before. Cleared up by tea time. Nothing doing to night, so had a bit of a sing song. Rained again in the night & wakened me by dripping on me. So I had to shift my bed.
Saturday 24th
The Guns woke me up a bit earlier this morning. Mixed weather we are having to day. Sunshine & rain. Judging by the row I should think that they have started the bombardment. Had a game of cards this afternoon. Aeroplanes have been busy in the fine intervals. Expect Charlie White is enjoying himself down in Rouen by now. Still Strafeing Hard.
Sunday 25th
During the night our billet was shelled. It caused a commotion in the dark. Unfortunately poor old No 3 Platoon got all the casualties. 2 killed & 3 Wounded. Sgt Hawke wounded. This morning we shifted our billets to higher up the road, & later on the boys left the billet for the trench where they intend to stop. Working party to night, but I did not go out Up the line somewhere.
Monday 26th
Sgt Dwyer left us this morning. Got a Police job I believe. It is not too bad where we are now, but the boys still prefer the trench. Had to do 20 minutes rifle drill after dinner in the orchard. The cooker left us to night but they left the Dicksee’s behind. Bad headache to night. Rained heavily.
Tuesday 27th
Still putting up with the row. We made a feint smoke attack this morning. After dinner had to go up to the front line on a working party. Didn’t fancy going over the Corderoy track, but we managed it alright. Cleaning out the Communication trenches. Some of them were knee deep in water. Coming back our guns weren’t half speaking. I was glad to get back to Sailly. Wasn’t half in a state.
Wednesday 28th
More rain. We paraded at 2 o’clock ready to proceed to Hebuterne, but the order came up telling us to stand by. Postponed for 24 hrs I believe owing to the wet. Later on we get orders for a working party. 2 Sgts wanted. I am unlucky for I click. Cleaning up communication trenches. Work from 10 to 2. Our guns were busy during the night. The Huns did not reply much. Got back about 4AM. Wet feet.
Thursday 29th
Did not get up until 11 o’clock. More working parties but I get let off to night. Not Sorry either. Some of our bombers go out on a bombing raid. Two out of my platoon do not return. 1 gets wounded the other is missing. It was a lovely night up the line I believe.
Friday 30th
Same old row continues. I write home & send some money to Mother. Working party ordered, the next minute it is cancelled. On parade at 5 PM ready to move up to Hebuterne. Turned out lovely after dinner. We had another Gas Helmet inspection. Left Sailly about 7 PM & occupied trenches at Hebuterne just behind the road. Busy drawing extra ammo etc & dishing some out. Could not sleep as we did not have our coats with us.
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