Bombardment ceased. English have taken Lille. Inch of ice on pond on farm yard. Our Christmas breakfast consists of Bully Beef & biscuits & tea.
I received greeting from King George & Queen Mary with photos (of them both).
In afternoon at 2 pm I go to the 4th Battalion King’s Royal Rifle camp. I have the privilege of being introduced to the Staff Officers & Major Hereward Wake & Colonel Oxley of the Kings Royal Rifles are among them. I shake hands with all the officers & have a good time all round. Have dinner at the Officers’ Mess & tea at the Head Quarters Cook House. I leave at 5 pm for the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry camp loaded with meat biscuits (Peak Freans) & other delicacies. There are several crucifixes & shrines at the village of Blaringhem.
The Canadians have only had Bully beef & biscuits all day & a little bacon at night. No bread of course.
Very light bombarding on the front but the KRR & Ghurkas lost a lot of men in trench taking.
*KRR-Kings Royal Rifles
**Ghurkas – Nepalese military units within the British Indian Army. 200,000 Gurkhas served in the British army over WWI and the Ghurkas fought in a wide variety of countries and battles during the war
