Left Berteaucourt @ 6:30 passed thro’ Domart. Rested in cemetery. Reached Ribeaucourt @ 11 AM. General resides @ chateau with other Bde officers. Officers go for ride on horse-back thro’ the woods. Difficult billeting. Poor [houses?] cannot purchase food.
The family of de Bernfy resides in chateau but are away in Amiens @ present.
Sunday 15 October 1916
Pte Fetherstone & I get bikes & journey to Vignacourt, there had dinner at Café [Mignier?] & thence to Flixecourt. Lovely country. High wind makes “bike pushing” hard.
Saturday 14 October 1916
Take the observers out into the country & teach them sketching.
Visit the village of St. Ouen, big place & has a branch factory of Saint Freres there. Confer with Capt Wallis re files.
Pte Knowling went with me to St Ouen.
Friday 13 October 1916
Up at 5, off at 6 to Berteaucourt in Coy with L/c Hodge. Walk to Villers-Bocage & enter lorry there bound for Bernaville. Stop off @ Canaples. Walk to Berteaucourt & arr @ 1:30 PM. No billet for me so sleep in barn on straw with Cpl Harper.
Thursday 12 October 1916
Bde moves to Val de Maison at 12:15. L/c Hodge, Knowling & self walk on ahead. Pt Walls meets us at Val de Maison. He is 3 days absent.
I sleep in pig sty but on straw. Pt Peter Wallach is wounded in leg.
Wednesday 11 October 1916
I write letter to Mrs Wallach. Not busy today, go write few letters.
Bde slept in open field last night. Send dead man’s effects to 2nd Canadian Div 28th & 27th battn. Bde Sergt Major wakens me at midnight to ask me for my full name – presumably for birthday New [Year?] honors?
Cannot sleep, too many interruptions.
Tuesday 10 October 1916
We move to Warloy-baillon at noon (1:30 PM). Pt A.W. Fetherstone & I sleep in an attic which we find was flea-infested.
Pt Wallach is reported as missing. Pt Crawford to Hospital.
Monday 9 October 1916 – fair
Enemy begin shelling. We retaliate with a frightful roar and noise. Many wounded are sent in to A fearful cases & sights.
A kitchen is established in Pozieres – a god send! – hot tea & biscuits.
Sergt Major Patison is severely wounded. We are relieved by 8th Bde (CMR’s) who had a previous cutting up on same ground.
We are quartered in Albert for the night & receive hot soup & tea by our cook Jack Baxter- good old soul. He also has hot water for a bath. He hails from St Helens, Lancs, England. Worthy of any V.C.
*V.C. – Victoria Cross, highest military decoration, awarded for valour in the face of the enemy.
Sunday 8 October 1916 – Showers, drizzly rain
We give Germans a heavy bombardment in retaliation the worst bombardment I’ve heard since Ypres battle. Enemy hard to dislodge, a bloody battle. Our men reach their objective but can only hold portion of Regina Tr. as Germans are in sections.
Much bombing and sniping. Our barrage was not long enough. Altho ‘twas fierce & effective. Many men are killed around us. Stretcher bearers are all heroes. Two old friends are killed, Pt Lavall & Pt W. Dunham. Poor Peter Wallach is missing. He was a runner to Coy officer.
Hell reigns supreme all day. I sketch in front line. My observers are lucky. I have the experience of having a man on either side of me killed. I help bring wounded in. Cpl Armstrong killed.
Saturday 7 October 1916
We put a heavy barrage and bombardment over to Fritz who retaliate by sending shrapnel over to us.
Wet again. In evening & in fact all day we are sending thousands of shells over to Germans. The 49th, 42nd & ROR’s get badly cut up. The 42nd had only been relieved this morning & had to go back to trenches again in afternoon.
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