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You are here: Home / Archives for Germans

Monday 1 January 1917

January 1, 2017 by Sarah McLennan

https://monova.ca/greatwarchronicles/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Monday_January_1_1917.mp3

Stay up till midnight with Lieut. Gleam of the 1st Div. pioneers. Drink in the New Year. No artillery fire of any description. We awaken at 9 am very late.
I go to Mt. St. Eloy and have dinner with the Transport staff and Brigade staff in a private house. I also visit 4 Co. PPCLI. The Pats get reinforcement of 50 men. Major Adamson makes a speech to them. Fog all day. I travel overland. Not observed by enemy. Our guns are active.


*PPCLI – Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry
*On a hill overlooking Arras stand the remains of two towers which bear testament not only to the once-powerful Mont-Saint-Eloi Abbey but also to the savage fighting that took place in the area during the Great War….From the beginning of the Great War the towers were used by French troops to observe German positions on Lorette Spur and Vimy Ridge. The suspicions of the French soldiers were aroused when Germans fired upon their every movement until it was realized that what was giving them away was not a spy but the birds nesting on the towers which took flight when troops disturbed them. (www.remembrancetrails-northernfrance.com) (www.greatwarphotos.com/tag/mont-st-eloi)

Filed Under: 1917 Entries, Diary Entries Tagged With: Germans, PPCLI, Vimy Ridge

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

Saturday 16 December 1916

December 16, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

Rumours of French capturing 6,700 Germans at Verdun area, it is confirmed later. They advance on a 6 mile front for 2 miles. Capture 75 guns & destroy 200. Enemy capture Buzau in Romania.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries Tagged With: Battle of Verdun, Germans, Romania

Sunday 8 October 1916 – Showers, drizzly rain

October 8, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

https://monova.ca/greatwarchronicles/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Sunday_October_8_1916.mp3
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.

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

Saturday 7 October 1916

October 7, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

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.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries Tagged With: Germans

Tuesday 19 September 1916

September 19, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

Our troops brought into Albert. Sorry sight. I go to Pozieres for intelligence news, then to Maneby Wood Contal Maison & District. Enemy heavily shell Pozieres & vicinity which keeps me busy dodging them. Piece cuts my leg. I arrive safely at headquarters in evening.


*Albert- A key location during the battle of the Somme as it was only 3 miles from the front. The town was heavily shelled by the Germans during this time. A statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus sat on the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Brebieres in Albert and after being struck by a shell the statue slumped into a horizontal position. British troops said that whatever side made the statue fall would lose the war though German troops claimed the opposite. Albert was captured by the Germans in 1918 but was eventually taken back by the British, the statue fell that same year after the Basilica was struck by British Artillery.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries Tagged With: Battle of the Somme, British Artillery, Germans, Pozieres

Thursday 22 June 1916

June 22, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

https://monova.ca/greatwarchronicles/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Thursday_June_22_1916.mp3
One of our aeroplanes is shot down by German aeroplane. Awful distressing sight to see it turning over & over. Fell over Asylum N.W. Ypres.
Go out to sketch Rampart for Sir Max Aitken, stay out one hour but have to take cover from fierce shelling by enemy. Am interrogated by officers & police many times.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries Tagged With: Germans, Ypres

Saturday 25 March 1916 – frost

March 25, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

Hard frost during night which added to the discomfort of the troops.
In afternoon the Germans shell our trench most unmercifully. Hell let loose. Hundreds of casualties. Dugouts blown up in the air, trees smashed down. Shells, trench mortar bombs, aerial torpedoes & other missiles employed.
We go up to bird cage trenches. Raining & troops miserable. The bursting of trench mortar bombs and grenades make vivid flashes and a deafening noise.
Boys have wet feet. Pvt Forster killed.
Wounded – Pvt Smith, Mason & ..

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries Tagged With: Germans, shells

Thursday 2 March 1916

March 3, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

To my digs at Mrs Webbs. Eileen & I go shopping during day, & pay visit to Sergeant Walkers fiancée. Snows heavily. Germans make 2nd assault on Verdun frightful losses at Douaumont.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries Tagged With: Douaumont, Germans, Sergeant Walkers, Verdun

Monday 28 February 1916

February 28, 2016 by Sarah McLennan

Up at 7:30 am woke Harry. Went down to Queens dock with him to see his boat S.S. Elwy, said good bye at 11 am. To town purchasing, back home. Said good byes to all at 1:30 PM. Harry, Gert I & II (baby) see me off at Lime street. 2:40 train arr. Crewe 3:45 leave 4:15 for Stafford. P&O liner Maloja strikes a mine in English Channel and 44 lives lost. Germans driven in Verdun. Big battle. Heaps of dead.
*The battle of Verdun – The battle of Verdun was fought from Feb 21st to December 18th 1916 and was the longest single battle of WWI. Verdun was a fortress city and a salient on the western front. The German attack on Verdun brought about a shift in the German strategy as they were now poised to invest more troops on the western front with the assumption that Russia, on the brink of revolution, would soon drop out of the war effort. The idea was to attack Verdun and bring as many French troops into the battle as possible, eventually bleeding France into submission. The Germans however suffered losses equal to that of the French during the battle and were never able to take Verdun. The losses on both sides were huge with over a million casualties combined and no advantage was gained by either side.

Filed Under: 1916, Diary Entries Tagged With: Germans, Queens, The battle of Verdun, Verdun

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