To trenches alone making sketches. Have to expose myself but enemy do not discover me. Much shelling by both sides. Enemy blow down our parapet a little.
Archives for May 2016
Wednesday 10 May 1916 – fine
Left Ouderdom for trenches @ 9:30 am alone with maps & plans of trenches.
Went along front firing lines & made sketches. Much sniping & artillery action. One of CMR’s has both legs & an arm shattered by shell fire.
To Voormezele & inspect the graves of PPCLI. In sorry condition, many shell holes.
Stayed all night at Zillebeke. Much shelling by enemy.
Tuesday 9 May 1916 – rain
Raining all day. A small bombardment goes on. Colville & Bradford return off leave.
Monday 8 May 1916 – rain
Showers all day. Very quiet no bombardment.
I sketch plan of our frontage.
Cannot rest at nights. Very restless
Sunday 7 May 1916 – rain
Anniversary of torpedoing of Lusitania.
Lieut Pope officer i/c [in charge] machine gun section is killed by rifle grenade alighting on his shoulder & blowing off his head.
Pte. Myatt of 4 Co is killed by shrapnel passing thro’ his head whilst standing outside dugout.
Pte. Dobey killed
No Sleep
Saturday 6 May 1916
Battn move from railway embankment dugouts into firing line. 52 to 62
Am in midst of bursting shells 4:30 PM. Hundreds of near shaves. Awful din. Huns putting shells around Chateau de Swan. No sleep.
Friday 5 May 1916
Hun aeroplane flys overhead when L/c Macqueen & I are in trenches. The Maltese cross easily discernable.
The 42nd & 49 scared to open up with maxims for fear of exposing their positions – ROTTEN!!
Thousands of rats in our dugout at Zillebeke. One horse & one man struck by bullets.
*Maltese Cross- What Draycott actually saw was the Iron cross, a symbol very similar to the Maltese cross but with a slight variation in shape. The Iron cross was originally the symbol for the Teutonic Knights starting in the early 11th century but later became a German military symbol from 1871 to 1918. In 1918 nearing the end of the war it was changed to another similar symbol the Bar Cross. See an example of the Iron cross below.
Thursday 4 May 1916
Hun airmen drop messages into Poperhinghe to the effect that he will drive out British from Ypres Salient before 9th.
Wednesday 3 May 1916
Kut falls into Turk hands but General Townshend kept his sword.
To Maple Copse.
A snipers bullet flys [sic] past my nose & another grazes my chin. Damned hot. Finish sketch though.
*Siege of Kut – The Ottoman Army besieged the British-Indian held town of Kut from December 7th 1915 to April 29th 1916. After retreating from Ctesiphon, General Charles Townshend led his troops to Kut to make a stand there due to its defensive positions along the River. However it became clear that the Ottomans could easily lay siege so Townshend had his cavalry escape south. However, Townshend and many of his troops were still trapped within the city. By April supplies were low and the first air supply mission in history was carried out as the Royal Flying Corps dropped food and ammunition to the defending troops. Eventually on April 29th Townshend was forced to surrender.
Tuesday 2 May 1916
Narrowly escape extinction. Aeroplane shells & bullets fly all around me as I am on the road, seek shelter of large tree – terrifying whizzing noise.
