Heavy frost
At 2:30 am dress for departure. Await transport in Locre. Leave Locre 4:40 AM, arrive Bailleul 5:15, leave 5:30 AM, arr. Boulogne 10:15 am, leave Boulogne 12:15, arr. Folkestone, 1:30 PM, depart. Folkestone 2 PM, arr. Victoria [station] 5 PM, leave St Pancras [station] 6, arr. Leicester 7:55 go to aunt Louise & stay night.
Saturday 19 February 1916
Drizzly rain in morning. I go sniping with Private Mackenzie & bag 4 Huns, they retaliate when they find me & give me a few close calls. Pte. Colville wounded in hand by snipers & Corp. Milne killed (shot through head). My waterproof is pierced by bullets from snipers. We put up dummie head (turnip) & Huns land shots through. We locate sniper & my hun goes with 6 inch shell. I fire elephant gun with telescopic sight. Leave trenches at 4 PM with advanced party to Locre. Griggs goes on leave.
*Elephant Gun – A large Caliber rifle originally used by big game hunters to kill elephants. During WWI both English and Germans used elephant guns to defend their trenches. The English found them very efficient as a countermeasure against German snipers who would often use large plates of steel as cover. The elephant guns were able to penetrate the steel, killing or incapacitating the sniper in hiding. Elephant guns could also be used as anti-tank weapons as they were often able to penetrate lightly armored tanks.