Very few dugouts in front line trenches so some of us have to stay out in rain all night. As I leave a bag where my equipment is, a shell comes along and kills one and the other poor fellow has his head badly shattered… his brains cover his face. Raining hard all day. Pvt Dietz & Pvt Basset are dead.
Dietz lays in pool of blood with right arm blown completely off by 88 mm (whiz bang). My equipment a tangled mess and my bayonet twisted. A most frightful bombardment goes on all afternoon. The 2nd C.M.R. mainly wiped out. Awful Hell. Men running everywhere to escape. A most unmerciful artillery fire. The ground shakes like quagmire at night a hellish din by bombs of all sorts.
Tuesday 21 March 1916 – mist, rain
The C.M.R. transport are blown up by shells.
Battn moves to Bde reserve via Kruystraat [sic]. Ypres at 5 PM at Zillebeke (sanctuary woods).
Rained a drizzly rain & all troops wet thru. Lost our way. Back to village of Zillebeke. Entered long line of trenches halted in middle. Boys tired (10 PM) laid down in mud. Rain beat down on faces, bullets flying everywhere also shells. Company absolutely fed up. Many fell down shell holes. Enter very small dugouts at 10:30 PM. Sleep with knees up all night out there. Dugouts for 2 had to take 4. Absolutely rotten management.
Our battalion open up with terrific bombardment.
*Sanctuary Woods – Just east of Ypres, the wood was named by British soldiers in 1914 as it was used to shelter troops. Canadian troops were stationed here during 1916 and the woods were defended by Canadians from the Germans during the Battle of Mount Sorrel.
Thursday 9 March 1916
Up at 7, have breakfast at Spiers & Pond then take taxi to Victoria Station arrive 8:15 am. Visit R.T.O. [Rail Transportation Officer] who sends me on to Charing Cross Stn. Train cancelled at Victoria (9:30 am) & train at C.X. [Charing Cross] goes at 11:05 arr. Folkestone 1:15 left Folkestone at 2 PM on S.S. Invicta arr. Boulogne 4:10 PM. Reported to R.T.O. 4:30. He orders me to return to him at 8 PM then afterwards changed to 10 PM. Move off 4 am arr. St Omer 7:15 am & changed for Hazebrouck left 11.
Wednesday 8 March 1916 – snow
Leave Gosport for Farnboro at 2:32 PM. Arr. Farnboro 5:10 PM & met on station by Miss Alwyn Browne who has taxi cab waiting for me. We drive & after entertaining them also initiating them into the game of Rummy I take leave of the family Root. Alwyne & I go to north camp. Alwyne kisses me and I board train for London at 9:40, arrive London 11:30 PM go to Union Jack Club.
Sunday 20 February 1916
Company parade 9 am for bathing at hot baths. Get change of clothing. Hun hydro plane returning from invading England drops 6 bombs near our place. Our planes pursue but no luck. Dozens of fights take place this day. Am warned to get ready for leave to England. To pay master 5 PM and draw cheque for 18 [Pounds?] + 25 Francs.
*Hydro planes – An early form of Sea Planes, these aircraft were capable of taking off and landing on water. Both sides of the conflict used hydro planes for reconnaissance and bombing purposes. Hydro planes could also be stored on early aircraft carriers called seaplane tenders. The hydro planes were launched by lowering them onto the sea with a crane.
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.
Tuesday 15 February 1916
Snow falls to depth of 2 inches. Heavy artillery bombardment by us (9.2 etc.) Company leaves for trenches firing line in drizzly rain. Am allotted isolated dug out in full view of Hun trenches. Have frightful cold in chest & head.
Wednesday 9 February 1916
Froze hard all night. Feet of boys very cold. Huns very lively last night.
French mortar bombs, rifles, grenades, etc. are sent over by us.
Lively bombardment this morning whizz-bang shells from Huns come over about noon. Nose cap from one narrowly misses my head and bores its way into tree in front of me. At 2 PM to firing line from trench supports. At 3:15 I cut the hair of Major Grey and Capt Cornish in their dug out, Major Curry returns from leave to England, lively bombardment in evening.
Thursday 27 January 1916 – Mist & Rain
Kaisers birthday. Nothing unusual happened. The HRH Prince of Wales visits our Battn. Col Buller is introduced to him. The Prince goes to firing line. Heavy bombardment at 3 PM after Prince had gone.
William Draycot (of West Hallam Derby) dies, Military Funeral.
*Wilhelm II – The last German Kaiser and King of Prussia, crowned in 1888. He notably dismissed Chancellor, Otto von Bismark in 1890. His early support for Austria-Hungary helped lead Germany into the First World War. Wilhelm was known for being impetuous and tactless often ignoring or not consulting with his ministers. He and his top generals dictated wartime policy with little regard for the civilian government. At the end of the war in November of 1918 he abdicated the throne and fled to exile in the Netherlands.
*Edward VIII – Officially became Prince of Wales on his 16th birthday in 1911. During the war Edward was keen to participate and joined the Grenadier Guards in 1914. Lord Kitchener would not allow Edward to fight on the front lines but he did visit them as often as possible and was even awarded the Military Cross in 1916.
* [The Prince of Wales inspects a battalion on the Western Front] AM54-S4-: Mil P281.23 Public domain via Vancouver Archives, http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/prince-of-wales-inspects-battalion-on-western-front
Saturday 15 January 1916 – Dull & Rain
Sallied out of supports to Bde Hd Qtr. Returned after making purchases for the boys. Out again at 1 PM to the trenches across the field about 100 yards and outside a couple of shrapnel burst overhead, bullets flew all round I hurried on but 30 yards behind me a high explosive burst right on the path I had previously trodden. Stuck close to [hedge?] as I pass a gateway two rifle shots strike thru trees one at the roots + other at 5 ft up. I lay on ground flat as if dead for 15 min then up & on again. Gone about 200 yards when Huns open up a battery gun on our Headquarters. For 20 minutes they send over high explosives shells. One enters door of barn and bursts inside just after 3 men had made their escape. I took cover in a shell hole & waited. Afterwards I ran over an open piece of ground which was being swept by machine gun fire by Huns. Reach the trenches puffed out. As I rest a while the Huns absolutely pepper us with shells knocking our parapets to bits in places. Strangely enough only one casualty Lieut M Newcombe struck in the neck by Rifle grenade from Hun trenches seriously wounded. After cutting a few heads of No Co I depart. With exception of a few more shells + sniping the return journey was done in safety. Afterwards to Hd Qrs at 6 PM with Corpl Griggs
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