War Diary Entries
April to June1917

 

Sunday April 1st 1917

Stables, Exercise, Harness Cleaning. Went with J. Irlam to Vieille Chapelle to YMCA for cigarettes, 8km. On getting back we found we were under open arrest for leaving the village. It was really because we could not be found and ammunition was wanted suddenly.

Monday April 2nd

FSMO (Field Service Marching Orders) moved to Essars, more accommodation for men and horses here. Afternoon snow blizzard. Harness cleaning.

Tuesday April 3rd

Stables, Still snowing hard. On fatigue in dining hut, scrubbing stables, afternoon exercise, another lecture about letters from Captain. He cannot be human, he has restricted us down to 2 letters per week each man. That means one home and one to my sweetheart. As for Eve and Rob and others they will never get a letter from me at all. We are treated as slaves in everything here. We might be living in times of Drake when press gangs were at large. He cannot understand how we found time to write letters every day. He thinks we do it in army times; so to stop it he made us go on harness tonight. J.Roberts riding lead which was lame had its leg broken by a kick tonight.

Wednesday April 4th

Stables, Drill Orders. Went for ammunition. J.Roberts horse shot. My two letters are written this week. If I am only to write one letter to my precious per week then its going to be a long one. I will endeavour to write a letter each day. Bought a open envelope off Roffey for 2d and 5 woodbines. 3 open envelopes per sub section raffled. I won one. I feel quite happy now, my girlie will be able to have two of the red original letters from me now.

Thursday April 5th

Stables, Exercise, Harness Cleaning, Picket. Battery went for 300 rounds reserve ammunition.

Friday April 6th

Stables, Exercise. Do not feel well at all today somehow. Same feeling as that night I was sick at 31 (Crop St). At night felt very dizzy.

Saturday April 7th

Stables, Exercise. Still fell very unwell. Had bad toothache. J.Carlise passing through village called to see me. Afternoon harness.

Easter Sunday April 8th

Stables, early exercise, church parade. Attended Communion Service after – rather peculiar to have service midst the sound of guns. Lovely day. Half holiday in afternoon. Night ammunition (first line team).

Monday April 9th

Stables, Bareback exercise. Heard news that Dick Knowles had been killed. He was stood 2 yards in front of his own gun and the firing lever was accidentally pulled – blown to bits – hole through him. Afternoon physical and fatigues.

Tuesday 10th April

Stables – Exercise. Transport for wood. Sgt Howarth bad – appendicitis.

Wednesday April 11th

Stables, exercise, afternoon baths and clean change. Bethune. Snowing hard. Ammunition (gun team)

Thursday April 12th

Stables, Exercise for battery. Went for ammunition to D.A.C. (drivers ammunition col) at Bethune, then to Locon. My girlies letter did not arrive today as expected. No letter from home. Not a pen … packet.

Friday April 13th

Stables, Exercise in afternoon. Transport for cookhouse fuel to Locon. No letter yet. Sold socks pipe(?) to get money for bread.

Saturday April 14th

Stables, Exercise at 11.15 am Stables. B.S.Major called me out and asked me if I would do a little cleaning for him 9 to 11 in a morning. This is some luck. How he came to pick me for this I don’t know. As a result I am taken off firing Battery lead (off Mab and Billy). Put on spare wheel driver (wheel harness no horses).

Sunday April 15th

Stables, 9am office. 2 hours to myself – practically nothing to do – afternoon, Major came down. Harness inspection. Letter from my darling. Sold tobacco for food. Went up line (timber and firing Battery team).

Monday April 16th

Stables. 9am office. Afternoon harness cleaning. Very hungry today. No money.

Tuesday April 17th

Stables. 9am office. Raining hard and windy. Right section FSMO cancelled.

Wednesday April 18th

Stables, office. Pay parade. Ammunition up the line – gun team.

Thursday April 19th

Stables, office. FSMO, Right Section – exercise for others. Ammunition up line – first line team.

Friday April 20th

Stables, left section FSMO, exercise, office, Afternoon gas helmet instructions.

Saturday April 21st

Stables, early morning exercise, harness cleaning 9-11. Afternoon harness. Ammunition up line – firing battery.

Sund April 22nd

Stables, ammunition fatigue. Colonels inspection. Afternoon holiday. Timber went up to shift S. Sub gun from Windy Corner where it had been placed the night before to cut wire netting etc. 2 or 3 aeroplane flights.

Monday April 23rd

Stables, some bombardment on, exercise, office, put on signalling course 1hr under Cpl McGhee. I wonder if this means up the line when efficient. I hope not for I am quite content here for duration. No letter from 31 today. I look regularly for them now that I miss them more. Big bombardment on all night. No sleep.

Tuesday April 21st

Stables, FSMO centre section. Had parade again at night 6pm FSMO and tomorrow night also, exercise others, office, enemy aeroplane over – 2 British and 1 German plane. Ammunition up line. No letter arrived yet. I wonder why it is late.

Wednesday April 25th

Stables, exercise, ammunition fatigue to DAC, office, no letter yet. Oh I do wish it would come. I keep thinking there might be something wrong – perhaps she is ill. I have all sort of fears for her with being such a long way from here. Football match in afternoon.

Thursday April 26th

Stables, Exercise. Still no letter from Mabel – oh I do wish it would come. Afternoon football match. Ammunition up the line at night (G team). Wrote to mother. Harry, J.C., Eve, J.Banking and R Ainsworth, Sergt Hull and Mathuson down to wagon line also Lt Feeny.

Frid April 27th

Stables, Exercise and amm fatigue (G Irlam). Office afternoon physical and harness cleaning. 8pm feeding up.

Saturday April 29th

Stables 5.30. Rough Exercise. Baking hot today. Stables 10.30-12.15. Office. Afternoon went to Baths at Bethane – tonight apt Lodge goes up the line and the Major comes down for a rest.

Today I have been very moody and depressive. In my letter tonight to my own girlie I wanted to tell her how much I miss her; to tell her again of my great big passion for her – if only things would finish. Will my wish ever come to pass. That is how it has seemed to me today. Oh how I long to be I her arms. My letters to her really do not convey much news of me and my doings here but I hope she will look in every one of my letters as at least a message of my love.

Sunday April 29th

Stables, Rough Exercise. Church parade. Office. Stables. Afternoon holiday. Wrote to mother. Piquet. Battleplane came down tonight. Had been fight to Hun planes 5 miles over the front – badly hit on the cylinders. Volplaned down about 200 yards away.

Monday April 30th

Ordinary routine of parades. Today the Hun were shelling Bethune – the shells coming over our billet every 5 minutes.

Tuesday May 1st

Ordinary parades. Big bombardment going on all day. Pay parade.

Wednesday May 2nd

Ordinary parades. Shell bombarding.

Thursday May 3rd

Bombardment continues - with plenty of air fights 6.0 Divisional String Band concert C.A. Hut.

Friday May 4th

Some shelling still continuing – air fights. Afternoon aeroplanes dropped armed torpedoes – meant for horse lines but missed – also at night bombs also dropped near us about 10pm.

Saturday May 5th My birthday.

6am German plane brought down 1.5 miles away. I had such a horrible dream last night. Dreamt that my sweetheart had married someone else whom I did know at all. I came on leave the day after her marriage and she told me she did not love him at all – all a blank after that. 9.30 more air fighting. Afternoon harness inspection – got a birthday kick off the horse.

Sunday May 6th

Ordinary routine of Sunday parades. Afternoon cleaned chains for horse necks. 6.0pm Fritz bombarded Essars and in particular our wagon line. It gives one an extraordinary feeling to be among shell fire – too horses off the lines – returned after the bombardment was over 9.30pm.

Monday May 7th

Ordinary routine. Afternoon harness. Tonight gun positions changed. Went from Gorrie(?) and Givenchy to Annequim. Wympenny to hospital.

The very obvious reason for moving the guns and the wagon line was because Jerry had at last discovered our position and had we not moved we could invariably have been shelled daily and they would have sent shrapnel shells among the horse lines to wound and kill as many of the horses as they could.

 

Tuesday May 8th

Ordinary routine. I take sick parade down in morning to doctor Aeroplanes fighting. Shells from our own guns ? on medical room – bit flew by me. Capt Lodge returned from line yesterday.

Wednesday May 9th

Ordinary routine. Afternoon harness. All night picquet. 11pm big attack by British. It was grand to watch.

Thursday May 10th

Ordinary routine. Green envelope issued – bought another one. Sent a real love letter to my darling.

Friday May 11th

Ordinary routine in morning. Afternoon Baths at Bethune – clean change. 2 wagon ammunition up the line – should have gone with it as centre driver in our own F.O team but S.M would not let me go. Terribly hot today. I have forgotten to thank my girlie for the socks she sent me. She is so good to me and I really need to tell her not to send anything but I must do for I don’t need anything and she must not spend her money on me. On feeding up.

Saturday May 12th

Ordinary routine. Early exercise. Got all pay books in and grouped the men according to their civil occupation. My group 36 . It being the last group. Took sick down. Afternoon harness cleaning. Night wrote letters.

This grouping of civil occupations must have been a result of a query from headquarters – what reason I did not know unless for selection purposes for special jobs. I know of no-one who was taken from us at any early date.

Sunday May 13th

Early exercise. Church Parade. Office. 9.30 took sick down. 11.30 J.Carlisle came to see me – although I didn’t relish his company occasionally in Colchester – how glad I was to see him today – didn’t go on stables 12. Letter from my precious girlie – did not open and although very much wanted to but J.C. was there, also a letter registered from home, 10 shillings. 12.30 went to C.A.H. with J.C. – isn’t talking – at last I could not resist and…

Several pages of the diary are missing here. Until

Wednesday May 16th

Office in a conservatory
Another day over. Went on short walk. Feeding up. Bed.

Thursday May 17th

Stables, Office. Today I got a letter from my precious and oh how I wish I had not sent her my last letter. I am selfish perhaps and want her all for myself but I cannot help my own wishes. I cannot afford to be angry with her at any tie for she is too precious to me. The letter vexatious and jealousness that arose in me are completely smothered in my lover for her. I have tried to write but I cannot start it somehow for now I do not know how her attitude will be towards me when she gets my last letter. If I could only just be with her now. It is such a long wait. Tonight I went into Bethune for a walk – J. Irlam and J. Roberts.

Friday May 18th

Stables, Office. At night I wrote 3 letters one to Mother, one to S.J.B (Florence’s husband) and one to my sweetheart – my precious girlie. Tonight I cried in bed.

Saturday May 19th

Stables, office.

Here follows a gap in my diary.

Monday May 21st

(my girlies and mine birthday). Went up the line with ammo (for J. Roberts)

Tuesday May 22nd

Ordinary routine. I received two of the most loveliest letters today I have ever had from my precious. Oh how she does care for me and love. I am not worth it yet oh how I do want her.
As luck would have it green envelopes were issued.
I got 1 and bought 3 others. I think I am making these envelopes my ? over her, but it’s only because they are for the best and dearest girl on earth. Wrote to her.

Wednesday May 23rd

Ordinary routine. Wrote a few lines to Mab.

Thursday May 24th

Ordinary routine. Went to Bethune at night to buy fags. Today I have been bitten all over my neck and arms by some insect. The lumps are about an inch round and itch terribly. I can just imagine how my girlie feels with that rash of hers. Poor little sweetheart I do lover her so, precious little gem she is to me.

Saturday May 26th

Early exercise. Office. Went to Beury? for tail combs. Still being bitten, I cannot keep from scratching them but when I scratch I bring the tops off. A letter from her, only a short one to tell me how she passed the day of the anniversary of our becoming sweethearts. I thought of it but never mentioned it to her for I was not so happy on that day and at the night time I went up with ammo for J. Roberts who was very tired.

Summer 1917

Monday June 25th

A big jump here gone month – neglection on my part. It would be useless for me to try and fill it in for it would not be exact. I can any rate give a small summary of events but as regards thoughts I cannot.
During the first week of this neglected month Bethune was shelled severely every morning – almost without fail 9.30am. Since that week there has not been another shell over – a few bombs from aeroplanes dropped occasionally. On the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7th of this month we took each night over 1000 rounds of ammunition for the purposes of three successive raids.

Monday 25th

Ordinary routine. We are moving from here shortly as far as rumours are true we go north to new extended line as Ostend. Stayed in office all day making new horse list out. Wrote to Harry (brother). I wish I could find time to write to my sweetheart a little oftener. I want to write to her but I have only time to write one letter a night. If I do manage two they are hurried ones.
One would say 6 to 9 to write letters – why ample time. Right enough we finish at 6 but between 6 and 8 there are endless no’s of persons who want me for some little information – would you mind doing this and that and that is how time flies.
I am absolutely stony this week. In debt 2 francs to Hughes, 1 to Sewell and 1 to Allonby. I do not like to keep taking and asking for money but it is practically impossible without it. I for one cannot exist on army rations as they are at present.

Tuesday June 26th

Ordinary routine. All night empty wagons and went up for shell cases at Hanley Station about 10.30 – aeroplane raid – many bombs dropped in very close proximity – was in bed at time and I full expected one every second – lasted about half hour. Wrote to my girlie and started another one. I had forgotten to mention that towards then end of that months neglect of mine. The division started to move off these fronts somewhere else. The infantry have gone and infantry from the 2nd Division taken their place. KRR, KORR, HLI, Cornwalls etc. The artillery go soon any day now.

Wednesday June 27th

Ordinary routine. The Major has been down this week and the Captain up at position. Pay day. Went to Bethune for necessities – got sopping wet through I thunderstorm.

Thursday June 28th

Ordinary routine.

Friday June 29th

As usual. Rumour today we leave here on Wednesday. Merville being first stop, 2 or 3 days while you are being overhauled.

Saturday June 30th

As usual. Capt Lodge returns from position tonight. 2 new remounts. Battery now up to full strength in horses. Tonight J.Wilson and I pinched some potatoes and a cabbage and made a meal after an attempt to boil some. This idea has been in my head a long time for since coming out here one gets no vegetables to dinner.

 

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