Wednesday 1st
Promotions out today. I get another rise. L/Sgt now. Parade again after dinner under the S.M. Got our stripes up today & so escape going on guard. Got a jolly decent billet. The old man where we live showed us over the factory where he worked. It is a string, cord & rope factory. Very large place. Very interesting. It is surprising what processing it has to go through before it becomes a finished product.
Thursday 2nd
Extended order drill today. Encore this afternoon under the tudorship of the S.M. Had some good meals today. Our first experience of a Sgts mess. In the dark going after some supper I went sprawling over a heap of mud lying in the road. Needless to say I returned without the supper.
Friday 3rd
Still on extended order. Same after dinner only a bit stiffer. Doubling over ploughed fields. Sgt Wright got reduced to Cpl today. Another payday. Pretty frequent lately.
Paid 30 francs – St Ouen
Saturday 4th
More extended drill. Had an afternoon off this afternoon. Went round to Beache’s show & played solo in the evening. Paid a visit to the factory but got turned out as we had no permission. Had our Photo’s taken together.
Sunday 5th
Church Parade at 10 o’clock. Had a bath after dinner in our diggings. Spent the evening round the fire.
Monday 6th
Batt route march. Set out at 9 o’clock. On the way we did blobbing. Blobbed 4 times. Over ploughed fields. No bon in full pack. Orders to night that we have got to sleep in the billets with the men. So good bye to bed.
Tuesday 7th (Shrove Tuesday)
B.O.S to day. So I miss all parades. Had to take the defaulters this afternoon. Two hrs route march. Then had to be outside the Or Room for them to answer to me. So I got fairly stung. Forgot all about our pancakes.
Wednesday 8th
More extended Order drill. Picked up plenty of mud. At it again after dinner. Rehearsing for the morrow. A Coy stick it well. Still sleeping on the hard hard floor.
Thursday 9th
Made two practice attacks this morning. Covered ourselves in mud but not much glory. Had the afternoon off so we went for our Photos. Found that they had come out rotten so we sit again. Where we have our mess they made some pancakes today so they gave us some. So we kept up the old custom if it was a day or so late.
Friday 10th
Woke up to find snow on the ground. Usual game. Another practice attack, but no lying down this time. S.M’s parade this afternoon. Got paid again to night.
Paid 20 francs – St Ouen
Saturday 11th
The Capt got the S.M to drill us this morning so we spent all the morning on drill instead of doing a 2 hrs route march as arranged. Had the afternoon off. Busy in the evening as we are shifting to-morrow. I went to see Grandma & she bid me adieu in French Fashion.
Sunday 12th
Up at 5 AM. Busy getting packed up. Bid adieu to our French Hosts. They were quite affected. Almost to tears. On the move at 9 AM. Through Canaples. Up hills. What a march. It was quite a Spring day. Billeted in a large farm. Resting 4 days here. The name if this place is Beauval.
Monday 13th
Soon made a start on drill. Out this morning at 9 until 12 o’clock. Extended order. Getting up and down practice. Lovely day. Quite like Spring.
Tuesday 14th
Up early this morning, packing up getting ready for another move. What a march. 14 miles & to finish up with we had to go up a fairly steep hill. With the Officer walking by the side shouting left right. Got on our nerves. We got to our fresh billets somewhere about 3 o’clock. It is only a little Hamlet set out of sight amongst the trees. No shops.
Wednesday 15th
Turned us into road sweepers to day, Shifting all the mud and digging drains. Had the afternoon off. Had a lovely walk after tea. I quite enjoyed it. We went into Rebreuviette to get some Quaker Oats. It is a lovely sight round here. We are having Spring weather now.
Thursday 16th
Should have done a route march but orders came through for a working party to dig some bombing trenches at Rebreuviette. Lovely day. Did 4 hrs work. Had the afternoon off.
Friday 17th
N.C.Os parade this morning. Working party this afternoon. Same job. Another new draft joined us today. Some of the old chaps returned. The R.S.M. partook of some of my biscuits from Deganwy
Saturday 18th
Went to an exhibition this morning. A demonstration of a German fire attack. It was a very interesting. The machine was one captured from the Germans at Hooge. After-dinner we did some more extended order attacking. Finished up in the rain. Got paid after tea.
Paid 25 francs - Canottement
Sunday 19th
Church Parade at 11 o'clock. After dinner I & Charlie White went out on pass. We went to Frevent. Had a nice time. Nice walk about 5 miles. I bought a wristwatch 25 Frs. It has been a lovely day. Leave has started again.
Monday 20th
Tactical exercises today watched by the Brigadier. Covered about 3 miles across country in Full Pack. Very interesting. On Picquet to night.
Tuesday 21st
Full pack route march. Did about 9 miles. Took over Or. Sgt at 1 o’clock. Arthur Young goes on leave to morrow morning.
Wednesday 22nd
What a lark. Arthur Young misses his train and has to stay a day in Frevent. No S.M’s Parade. Rather damp.
Thursday 23rd
Batt Route march. The same journey as the other day only reversed. But this time we lost ourselves & therefore we were out until 1 o’clock. No further Parades. A bit colder.
Friday 24th
Woke up this morning and found about 3” of snow on the ground. But it did not put a stop to our tactical exercises. Still in extended order work. More sliding down deep ravines.
Saturday 25th
What a joke. What a scream. Have been wandering round this bit of France with a gun on our shoulders. Like a lot of Cook’s tourist. You will notice this etc. Afternoon off.
Sunday 26th
Church Parade in our barn owing to the wet. I got told off by the Captain for not telling him the alteration of orders. Our Coy played the champion Coy of the Brig cup the 7 M/sex Semi final. Unfortunately we lost 3 to 2. Good game.
Paid 20 francs - Canottement
Monday 27th
More tactical exercises. To day more interesting. C-Coy were the enemy. We the attackers. Of course we won. To night when taking orders my name was read out for leave. What a shock. Am going on Wednesday all being well. Wet day.
Tuesday 28th
Special operation orders to day. Each company had to meet at a certain village (Magnicourt) at a certain time. Coy Commander had to arrange his own time for starting. As usual we had a good trot round. S.Ms parade after dinner. I handed over Or Sgt to J Norman & jolly glad too.
Wednesday 29th
The S.M took the company this morning. N.C.Os in the afternoon. I should have gone on leave to night, but am disappointed. The port keeps being closed.
Thursday 30th
Easy morning this morning. I have got a guard on this afternoon. On Brigade dump way down Rebreuviette. I don’t know what they want to send me for. It is nothing. Only minding ration waggons in the road. Have heard that I am going on leave to morrow night.
Friday 31st
Managed to get a few hours kip. Lovely morning. Missed the Brigade attack. Off at last. No turning back this time. Got to Frevent about 9.15. Put up in a hut for the night.
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