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Archives for January 2016
Sunday 30 January 1916
I go to Berthen + Boeschepe
Fog all day
Draycott carries on in new volume
Walter Mackay Langdale Draycot
“Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry”
Draycot Road. Lynn Valley B.C. Canada
Next of Kin – Brother – Henry Draycot
101 Sunbeam Road
Stoney-Croft
Liverpool England
Saturday 29 January 1916 – Fair
We leave billet at 12:15 for Mont Des Cats. I leave Coy at Bailleul & go into town. Met L/c Lightbody + go to Cinema. Afterward to Meteren + near Mont des Cats distance 15 Kilometers in full Marching Order.
*Mont des Cats – A small hill near Godewaersveld in Flanders. The Mont des Cats Abbey sits atop the hill and was originally built around 1650. The famous Mont des Cats cheese has been made in the Abbey by monks since 1890.
Friday 28 January 1916 – Mist & Rain
Pt Peart + self go to Neuve Eglise + Ploegsteert on a Ramble. In afternoon heavy shells fall around + over billet.
General’s groom is wounded in leg as shell bursts over Generals (Bgde) dugout.
Thursday 27 January 1916 – Mist & Rain
Kaisers birthday. Nothing unusual happened. The HRH Prince of Wales visits our Battn. Col Buller is introduced to him. The Prince goes to firing line. Heavy bombardment at 3 PM after Prince had gone.
William Draycot (of West Hallam Derby) dies, Military Funeral.
*Wilhelm II – The last German Kaiser and King of Prussia, crowned in 1888. He notably dismissed Chancellor, Otto von Bismark in 1890. His early support for Austria-Hungary helped lead Germany into the First World War. Wilhelm was known for being impetuous and tactless often ignoring or not consulting with his ministers. He and his top generals dictated wartime policy with little regard for the civilian government. At the end of the war in November of 1918 he abdicated the throne and fled to exile in the Netherlands.
*Edward VIII – Officially became Prince of Wales on his 16th birthday in 1911. During the war Edward was keen to participate and joined the Grenadier Guards in 1914. Lord Kitchener would not allow Edward to fight on the front lines but he did visit them as often as possible and was even awarded the Military Cross in 1916.
* [The Prince of Wales inspects a battalion on the Western Front] AM54-S4-: Mil P281.23 Public domain via Vancouver Archives, http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/prince-of-wales-inspects-battalion-on-western-front
Wednesday 26 January 1916 – Mist & Rain
Heavy shelling all day
Tuesday 25 January 1916 – Frost & Fair
A fleet of Taube Aeroplanes come over lines to scout. Our guns shell them
Monday 24 January 1916 – Fair & Frosty
Heavy bombardment all day. Capt Cornish + I watch Hun sniper destroy a periscope. Heavy artillery fire from own Whiz Bangs.
Enemy send over Trench bombs + Rifle grenades. We are relieved by 42nd Canadian, + 49th by RCR
We go back to Stink Farm [sic] where the Huns had shelled a few days previous.
Sunday 23 January 1916 – Foggy & Fair
Foggy, all stand to arms until clear. Maxim + Machine guns keep up a heavy fire.
Last night heavy rifle & Machine gun fire. Several Hun Aeroplanes over our lines. Our artillery fire 150 shells but fail to hit them. Capt Barclay + Cpl Griggs go to Bailleul for course of Bomb throwing etc.
Cpl Neal, Pri J Forrest + Craig go to England on leave yesterday.
About 3 PM the Huns send over whiz bangs etc. They burst only a few feet away from us.
Taubes fly overhead, a battle is going on in the clouds. We are relieved by 42ed Canadians after. Heavy frost at night. Lots of strafing by us and the Huns
*Strafing – Attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft. Strafing was first used in World War One to attack trenches and supply columns from the air. The German army was the first to introduce aircraft made specifically for strafing. They built airplanes armed with downward-facing machine guns and armor to protect against ground fire
*AEG J.I German Armoured Ground attack aircraft
“Aegj.i” by This file is lacking author information. – http://www.aviastar.org/air/germany/aeg_1.php. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aegj.i.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Aegj.i.jpg
Saturday 22 January 1916 – Fair & Rain
The General passes up the trench at 10:30 after a severe bombardment. The Huns again bombard in afternoon doing consid. dam. to dugouts + trenches. In fixing up a trench we dig up a dead German with belt + bayonet on. Hair off skull
Cold, damp, then frosty night
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