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You are here: Home / Archives for Diary Entries / 1916

Sunday 31 December 1916

December 31, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

My assistant & one of the observers go to Mont St Eloy. I’m busy making maps.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries

Saturday 30 December 1916

December 30, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

Very busy map making for blue prints. A young fellow of the pioneer was shot thro’ the heart & liver near our dugout. Poor young Bradford dies of wounds at Mont St Eloy Hosp, shot by a sniper same time as Sergt Michaud.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries

Friday 29 December 1916

December 29, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

I lay in bed till’ 1 PM then down to my office. General MacDonnel arrives back from leave & greats me with a handshake & asks several questions. I give him a late map of trenches on tracing lines. The assembly consists of the General, Col Griesbay, the Bde Major & the aide de camp. (Mr[?] Wallis).
Enemy shell our batteries. We have been shelling him all day with heavy shells.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries Tagged With: General Macdonnel;

Thursday 28 December 1916

December 28, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

Enemy busy with r.g. fire & trench mortars. We name a heavy trench mortar of their’s – “Anania” and another one “Josephine II.” In the night we blow up a mine. I watched it go up, a fierce looking affair with a huge column of fire & smoke. Machine guns open fire & we are active. The whole affair is a success & the 49th occupy the crater lip. It is a bitterly cold, wet night with biting wind. I have neuralgia curse it.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries

Tuesday 26 December 1916

December 26, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

Heavy retaliation by our guns for yesterday’s affair.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries

Monday 25 December 1916

December 25, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

https://monova.ca/greatwarchronicles/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Monday_December_25_1916.mp3

Christmas day, weather fine. High wind. Reported that enemy is moderately quiet along front. L/c T.J. White & I travel across country to the front line trenches clad in steel helmet and long thigh-boots, revolver, etc. in full view of the enemy. For over a mile we travel thus. If he wanted to he could have blown us to pieces. We pass many decomposed bodies lying all over the fields & in the trenches also rifles, ammunition & equipment.
We arrive at the front line trenches. After wallowing thro’ mud thigh deep we visit the craters. A man has just been wounded by Fritz & his bloodstained coat lay there as evidence others had been wounded earlier in the day. He had sent over two heavy minenwerfer shells.
About 8 to 9 am a white flag is seen and no man’s land is full of Germans. They were identified as Pomeranians. 16th, 23rd, 198th & another one. They desired to fraternize & some exchanged souvenirs. A message was sent then “they must either surrender or they would be shot at if they did not return to their trenches.” We visited the new crater named Patricia. After wishing the boys “all the best” we returned to Bde Hdqr & a good dinner of turkey and roast beef. The plum pudding had not arrived. During the whole day the enemy were pounding our trenches on the right & left of our Brigade area.


*Pomeranians – Pomerania is a small historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. The region joined the German Empire in 1871.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries Tagged With: Germans, mp3, Pomeranians

Sunday 24 December 1916

December 24, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

Enemy sending shells over to us. One lands in dugout & wounds 5 men. Using 4”13 shell. I go to Neuville St Vaast to see Sergt Rowley, Miller & Peters.
Mail is delayed, a letter has taken 12 days to come from England. Rum is issued to the troops.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries Tagged With: Neuville St

Friday 22 December 1916

December 22, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

No Entry

Filed Under: 1916

Thursday 21 December 1916

December 21, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

No Entry

Filed Under: 1916

Wednesday 20 December 1916

December 20, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

Heavy shelling by us all morning. In the afternoon, about 2 PM, we open a heavy bombardment on enemy, a great sight. In the morning our aeroplanes bring down two enemy aeroplanes – good work.
We send over smoke shells on our front as a feint attack, & attack in another quarter altogether.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries

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