War Diary Entries
February to March 1917

Thursday Feb 22nd

4.30am -9.30am Squad Parade.
12am King’s Inspections (King George V). Field Service Marching Orders back at camp 2pm.
3-4.30pm Stables.

Today of course the usual back from leave feeling – at dinner time there was a letter waiting for me from my precious but it made me feel so sad for it was tear stained. It was so good of her to write me so soon. 6.15 parade for fitting of new box respirators, then wrote to my girlie and home.

Thursday Feb 23rd

Exercise. Afternoon passed through tear gas and poisonous gas (Chlorine) with gas masks. 6.15 pay parade. I had a champion letter from ‘31’ today such a nice long one. Wrote to her.

Saturday Feb 24th

Practiced teams of remounts in harness. Afternoon 1.15 parade for washing all horses in Battery A B & C Subs. Got overseas equipment – wrote home and then to my precious. It is her birthday on the 27th and I have had no opportunity of going to town to find something. I was hoping that I would have Saturday afternoon off but not so. I wanted to buy her something, if only just a little thing – the nights are too dark to buy anything.

Sunday Feb 25th

Stables 9am harness cleaning and washing horses. Afternoon parade again for harness cleaning and branding horses. Today I heard of a lot of men being lost of transports carrying 57th Division across.

Our advance party went tonight – we shall not be long now. I have been very lonely tonight. The first real loneliness since I got back. I have had no letters for two days. I feel all alone somehow. I do hope I hear from my girlie tomorrow.

Monday Feb 26th

Stables. Driving drill, wagons out. Afternoon harness and changing. A letter from my girlie. Tomorrow is her birthday and I have not got her anything. I was going to buy her a purse but have had no chance to go to town for it. Wrote her a long letter as she asked me only for that. In her letter today she gave me the names for my horses, Bertie and Mab.

Thursday Feb 27th

Her birthday. Stables, driving drill, afternoon harness. We have no time for ourselves now as we move on Sunday. I am sure my girlie does not think I am to go so soon. Tonight I had to go down on my harness and get it finished. Could not write to Mabel.

Wednesday Feb 28th

Stables, driving drill. Letter and book (?) from my girlie. I find more now that I have no time to read that book and less chance to read it if I were to take it over with me. I have not time to read it before Sunday. I hardly get time for writing let alone reading now. Afternoon kit inspection, night distribution of clothing and boots. 8.30pm when I was let free and then the lights in the hut went out. Wrote a few lines to M by candlelight. I shall never know when I can write her now. I do hope she will understand that I shall not have as much time as I have had. J Carlisle came to say goodbye tonight – he leaves 1am for France. I can not realise that this time next week I shall be over there too.

Spring 1917

Thursday March 1

Stables – exercise – afternoon baths – on attending man for picquet – that means picquet again tomorrow night. Gave Roffey 3/6 to do both for me. I can write to my girlie then. Wrote to my precious – told her not to write back as her letters may not reach me as we are moving overseas from here on Sunday night. Today I had a long letter from my girlie and a letter enclosed from Bradley and Elise (which Elise wished me to read). It surprised me greatly when I read it.

In earlier days when I saw both Elise and B together I always assumed B had very great respect and love for her – one that would never fade. But from the letters I read tonight it seemed plainly to me that there was no love or respect at all – and promises were made in the letter in a very light manner. Elsie is silly if she bothers with him further – though it may be hard for her to do that altogether. From what Mabel has told me he has had plenty of chances. My real opinion taking into account my opinion of him before his joining up is he may still perhaps love her but since joining up his thoughts for her have come across as selfishness. I believe if Elise were to give him up there would come a time when he would repent of these things and long for her again.

Fri March 2nd

Stables - early morning exercise – harness cleaning - afternoon orderly - 6pm pay parade – 7pm pay parade books – a letter from my girlie.

Saturday March 3rd

Stables – early morning exercise – harness cleaning – got skeleton order – did not clean it but it was passed alright.

Sunday March 4th

Stables – washing horses – got skeleton order a second time – we should have gone away tonight but was cancelled – reason given congestion of traffic – but real reason I think – submarines.

Monday March 5th

Stables – dressing drill – fatigues – wrote to my girlie and asked her to write. It is rumoured we go over on the 12th now. I do want to hear from her again. It seems as though I am miles away from her. I wonder if she is lonely and unhappy.

Tuesday March 6th

Stables – exercise

Wednesday March 7th

Stables – dressing drill. Harness cleaning.

Thursday March 8th

Stables – early morning exercise.

Friday March 9th

Stables – full marching order.

Saturday – March 10th

Stables – exercise. We go on Monday. Had a bath.

Sunday March 11th

Stables – issued with everything now. Wrote two letters to M and one home. On picquet.

Monday March 12th

1am parade. Entrained by 4am. Arrive Southampton 10.30am. Embarked, set sail 6pm and escort – only yesterday one transport had to return was chased back so I don’t know how we will go on. Feeding up 2.30. Watered and fed 5. Picquet 2.30 – 5. 7pm watered and fed. No-one allowed on deck – no smoking after 8pm. Wore life belts all the journey 12 hours. Arrived Le Havre 12am.

Tuesday March 13th

12am disembarking. Horse leg broken – four shots to kill it. Sam Elock lost grooming kit. 5pm before we moved off, went to rest camp, arrived 1pm pouring with rain. Picketed horses out. Slept in tents.

Wednesday March 14th

Stables 7am. Biscuits and bully rations. Change what little money I had, about three francs altogether. Left camp at 5pm, entrained by 9pm, 8 horses 2 men in a box. Maguire and I in ours – 2 horses loose in 10 minutes after starting. Travelled on the footboard for 15 minutes.

Wednesday March 14th

Train stopped – reported to Leut MacDonald – he got left behind when train started but we scrambled on. Travelled by the open door so could clamber out if horses became extremely rough. Next stop we left horses to themselves. Travelled in next door box with Roberts and Irlam. Can remember what they do with their horses without putting it in Black & White. Will never forget that journey with the horses. 20 hours on the train. No food. Arrived Thiennes 5pm Thursday

(see here for anecdote about this journey)

Thursday March 15th

Detrained. Harnessed up. 7km to Haverskerque, arrived 11pm. Could hear the guns going 12km away. Put horse lines down on ground level, Slept in barns.

Friday March 16th

Stables 6pm. Walking exercise. Crimed for leaving the horse box – 4 days F.P.2

Saturday March 17

Stables 6pm. Exercise. No money, no cigarettes, no cleaning tackle. Nothing but myself and equipment. Hardship has come rather quickly to us. Rations bully and biscuits. Pinched a loaf of A.S.C. (Army Service Corp) Wagon. Had a good fill, slept in guard room. Today had a bath and change of underclothing at Saint-Venant 3km away.

Sunday March 18th

3 men from each sub for church. Picquet. Cleaning for drivers. Skeleton order inspection.

I can not recollect having pinched a loaf off the ASC Wagon but have no shame in stating that I did this. All the time I was in France & Belgium on Active Service our rations were very thin and mostly Bully Beef and Hard Biscuits.

Monday March 19th

Stables 6am. F.S.M.O turn out. Kit inspection afternoon. 3 defaulters including myself to dig grave for dead horses 8ft square and 8ft deep. My horse Mab bad with pneumonia.

Tuesday March 20th

Stables, exercise. Dug hole some more, tipped horses in, covered over. Inspection. Finished my punishment.

Wednesday March 21st

FSMO cancelled. Exercise, harness cleaning. Went into St Venant for a meal – 2 eggs bread and coffee – as we were paid 15 francs today. Gas instructions.

Thursday March 22nd

FSMO cancelled. Exercise. Snowing hard, very cold. 12.30pm had to move up the line suddenly. Away at 2pm 8 miles through Merville, Neuve Chapelle way – new off horse (black). Mab bad with pneumonia – picketed 6pm. Guns very close now. This place is Vieille Chappelle. My girlie will be fretting – I’m sure. I often look at her picture and wonder whether it will be my lot to see her again. The sooner the better I do for this is a terrible hard life. It’s the hardships that count here more than anything.

Friday March 23rd

Exercise – harness. Many soldiers graves around here. Signs of war all around us. Harness cleaning 5pm. Graves(?) and F.Barlany(?) up the line, Givenchy and Festubert way at 10pm. Back at Vielle Chappelle.

Saturday March 24th

Stables 7am. Harness cleaning. Went to YMCA – saw two air fights this morning. I am beginning to miss letters now. How I would like to hear from my girlie. I would like to know just how she is – as it is getting time that I should have a letter. Tonight we took ammunition up to gun team and F. Battery – very quiet – we fed and rigged our horses up in front of the guns. Very heavy shelling to the right flank about 2 miles away.

Sunday March 25th

3am Stables. 7am Harness Cleaning. Other fellows are getting letters. I do wish I had one. Amm Col took our ammunition tonight for us.

Monday March 26th

Stables 6am. Exercise walking. Harness. Left Vieille Chapelle at 2.30pm. Arrived Locon 2 miles further on. Stables for horse here. Tea 8pm.

Tuesday March 27th

Stables 6am. Raining hard. Harness all day. Picquet tonight. About 9.30 shell burst about 2 fields away – only one. Posted letter two days old to Mother and my girlie.

Wednesday March 28th

Stables, Exercise, mounted. Afternoon inoculated horses. Harness. Had eggs and bread and butter. Today I had first letter from home (registered). If only they knew at home what letters are to me now. They are so scarce. I don’t think my girlie’s letters will be long now. Oh it will be good to receive one from her again. I often wonder how long I shall be kept away from her. Now that I am settled down a bit and have a little more time to myself I think of her often and I do long to be with her again. It was not until now that I have had time to think of all those happy leaves I have spent.

Thursday March 29th

Stables, exercise. The Captain gave a lecture on the amount of letters we send home. There is only him to censor them and he is too lazy to cover 100 letters a day. He asked us to send fewer letters. Went up with ammunition. Much shelling and firing on our right flank. La Bassee way. I found out tonight our true position. Centre and left section are about 2 miles in front of Gowe(?) covering Festubert. Lancs fusiliers in trenches. Right section on the La Bassee Canal 2 miles to our right flank.

Friday March 30th

Stables, Exercise, Jack Boots being issued to men. Had hair cut at French barbers.

Saturday March 31st

Stables, Exercise, Harness Cleaning. Moved into lines in open field. Duckworth asleep on picquet.

 

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