War Diary Entries
January to February 1919

 

1919

Wed January 1st 1919

Moved into army billet 4.30. Folk there very kind. Toujours eating? Went to Antoine Collignon’s for dinner. Also dance at night.

Thursday January 2nd

7.45 carted material from Havelange to Ossogne for R.E. building. Diner with landlady 7pm.

Friday January 3rd

Exercise horses. Dinner 7pm.

Saturday January 4th

Grazing. Fred brought me Boche telephone from Havelange school for souvenir. Wrote M.Finlow. Dinner 7pm. Half day.

Sunday January 5th and Monday 6th

Photo with Gaston. Went to Marie’s father’s for dinner. He gave me Boche rangefinder for souvenir. Very homely people. Nice little kiddie Juillet. ? for rations 14 kilos.

Tuesday January 7th

Feed up 7.30pm. Two servants from Dammets came to see Marie. One helped me to feed up.

Wed January 8th

Turned out carting stone for stables. Canteen stuff up. Gave my issue chocolate to Emile the kiddie.

Thursday January 9th

Grazing, ration bags etc at stores. Put name in for Education course at Namur (Champion). 18 list for one month. Letter from Chas (Namur). Tobacco issue.

Friday January 10th

Visits Mr and Mrs Sabot and bough Sabot’s for early morning and night wear.

Saturday January 11th

? fatigue. Went with Fred and Bill to have photo taken at Marie’s and Emile’s request.

Sunday January 12th

At nightfall visited Mr and Mrs Sabot with Emile and Marie. Very enjoyable night. Arrived home about 10.30

Tuesday January 14th

Preparations for inspection. Made complaint about my boots. Picquet.

Wed January 15th

Sick, toothache. Afternoon Belge doctor pulled 3 teeth for me. Called for photograph. General expected tomorrow.

Thursday January 16th

Sock. Light duty and pills. Chosen for 4th Army Young Soldiers Training Course. Boots arrived in parcel for Baby Emile. Feed up.

Friday January 17th

Left Ossogne. Train from Ciney, motor from Namur, arrived 4pm Army School, Champion 10pm. Marie and Emile are hoping I shall return.

Referring back to the entry on Jan 1st 1919, this must have been the actual day went to live with Marie and Emile (and not a few days after our arrival at Ossogne as I had mentioned previously). I have a feeling now that we endeavoured to get the Battery to make Billeting Pay to them but cannot remember whether we were successful in this matter.

On Tues 7th Jan I make mention of Dammets. I remember the Dammets but no more than the name. I can only surmise now that Dammets were a family of note in the district and that probably Marie had worked for the family before she was married to Emile.

Thursday 9th Jan: Education course at Namur. This I can remember very well. I had seen on the notice board at the Battery office a request for Volunteers to go on this course and had put my name down for it. Only one was selected from the Battery and in view of my record of army crime I had little hope of being selected. This educational course was one of the things instigated by High Command to ameliorate the troops against slowly rising tendency of insubordination at not being demobilised.

 

Wed 15th Jan: Here I mention toothache from which I had been suffering on and off for a long time and this day I walked to Havelange and found a Belgium doctor and paid him to pull 3 teeth out. He gave me an injection of cocaine and removed the offending teeth, but afterwards I had very sore gums for over month.

Saturday January 18th

Walk round village – very dull place. Made chums with Canadian R.E. Guy. Convent very cold, no stoves. Sat in entrainment most of the day.

The Educational Course was held in a very large convent which also contained sleeping accommodation. In fact part of the convent was still in occupation by nuns – about half of whom had moved to some other convent so as to allow the use of their bunks and also the classrooms and laboratories. Unfortunately there was no heating in these rooms and dormitories and we found it very cold.

For a months educational course the curriculum was a full one comprising of English, French, cur drawing and design, shorthand, mechanics, electricity and magnetism, Spanish, geography and history. There were about 180 men on the course, and these had been drawn from all sorts of regiments and included Australians and Canadians.

I do not remember the Canadian guy I made friends with but my diary states he was from a Royal Engineering Squad. I also made friends with an Australian R. Faulkner.

On Sunday 19th Jan, the first day in attendance we went on Church Parade and afterwards were subjected to a test which was very elementary, and in the afternoon joined in sports of all kinds.

Sunday January 19th

Church Parade 10am. Test (very elementary). Afternoon sports.

Following the test we were split up into “Syndicates” (just like the army to have a special word for classes), each comprising about 30 men, and then for the next month followed daily lectures and recreation of all sorts.

Tues 23rd

Lectures. Wed, lectures on labour. Afternoon went into Namur.

Thursday 23rd

Lectures, sports, all kinds of recreation here. Bankrupt again.

Sat 21st

Pay Day, 40 francs.

Sat 1st Feb

Night went and saw the Pedlars at Kunsack(?)

Monday 3rd Feb

Afternoon shinty matches between syndicates on ice.

Tues 4th Feb

A.I.F. concert party at night. Letter from Gaston enclosing two photographs.

A letter is attached below which I received from Emile and Marie whilst I was on the school course in Namur.

Wed 5th Feb

Chas came across from Morville to Champion – afternoon and night with him in Namur. Letter from Father. Flo (parcel aussie).

Meeting my brother, Charles

I think this was the first meeting up with my brother Charles. He was apparently stationed in Namur. I spent a very happy afternoon and evening with him in Namur and remember helping him to buy for his girl friend (Ada Brocklehurst) a “Valencummes lace camisole top”? We had some little difficulty in the shop explaining to the lady assistant what we wanted but after much mee wawing on our part and eventually much blushing on her part she understood that the lace top was for a lady friend.

Friday Feb 7th

Visited the Field of Waterloo all day.

Sat Feb 8th

Jumped up at 6am but missed motor car (to get to Chas). Nothing said at School.

Apparently although I cannot remember this I took the day off without asking permission in an endeavour to see Chas again. The school authorities did not apparently know of this or if they did they meted out no punishment.

Sunday Feb 9th

Church Parade. R.A.M.C. Concert Party. The Occasionals.

Monday Feb 10th

The Occasionals

Wed Feb 12th

Cinema

Thursday Feb 13th

It is not mentioned in my diary but on the last two days of the course examinations were held and on Friday Feb 14th the whole of us gathered together in a large hall in the Convent and the results of the examination were given out. I was named as top of my syndicate and was presented with a certificate (shown below) and a silver medal which on one side was inscribed “4th Army Musketry Course” and on the other side a space to have my name inscribed. To enable me to have this done I was also presented with 15 francs. It was not convenient to have this carried out so I spent the 15 francs along with my friend R. Faulkner in a local Entainment and as a result my name was never inscribed on the medal.

Saturday Feb 15th

Stayed night at 66 DW Reception camp at Ciney. Arrived at Ossogne at 5pm

Sunday Feb 16th

Picquet.

Emile and Marie along with Fred and Bill and the Collignon’s (especially Sylvia) were very pleased to see me back again and I was able to tell Marie how very much I had enjoyed the griddle cakes, and this was perfectly true for my gums were so sore all the time at the school.

The disc on the above certificate is a rubbing of the silver medal which is inscribed in the centre “4th Army Musketry School, France”

Sunday 23rd Feb

Dressed in Civvy in Emiles clothes and visited Collignon’s Café “bien amuse”.

I do not remember doing this.

Monday Feb 24th

Service with new Padre. 24 horses to Blighty.

Tuesday Feb 25th

5 men (4 – 1916 men) demobilised today. Fed up. Seemingly no transport fro 14-15 men. Raised protest immediately but no alteration made.

Wed Feb 26th

Fred Shuttleworth – hospital. Bill to Ciney selling horses. On 25th received report from school 4th Army – congrats from Capt Lomas and Sgt Major.

Demobilization - slow going

At the beginning of the New Year 1919 everyone in the Battery was hoping to be demobilized very soon. Naturally I did not expect to be demobilized before others who had joined up before me and I also realized that firms wanted their old employees back as soon as possible. I was now in my 22nd years of age – having joined up in 1915 when I was 18 years 5 months. I had no trade or professional experience in my hands to return to and like others because of the war’s duration I had lost what might be termed the vital years of my life.

Early in January 1919 I had been in correspondence with my eldest brother Harry who was in business with a man named Nicholl in Bradford, Yorkshire as a Consulting Engineer. I did not know Harry very well since he was 19 years older than me and had married when I was 8 years old and I only saw him about once a year from then, mainly at Christmas time when the family all got together. I also know that my father was very worried about what sort of career I should enter when I was free of the army. It was really essential that I should get out a soon as possible and for my part I certainly did not want to go back to Hall Higham & Co selling ladies hats – nor was it the kind of job the army would consider to have priority.

So I wrote to my brother Harry seeking his advice and I append replies received from him at this time.

Harry certainly did what he could, as will be see from the letters, but nothing ever came of it and I did not get ay discharge until 14th May 1919 which meant that I had lost four and a half valuable years of my life.

The troops in France and Belgium were getting impatient and day by day the impatience was magnifying and we were hearing rumours from time to time of tendencies to mutiny. The relaxation of army discipline was not enough in itself a prevention to the ever growing tendency of restlessness and dissatisfaction of the troops because nothing seemed to be done about their release. You will read later that what was done with our Battery was to split us up and send us to different places. This was one way of delaying a climax and I presume now that something of the same sort of separation was put into effect with most other units of the Army in France.

Harry Letter 5th Jan

Hill Top, Bank Crest, Baildon, Shipley
5th Jan 1919

Dear John
Your last letter interested me very much and I was glad to hear that you were being accommodated with better living quarters. After your extremely rough experiences it must have been felt very good indeed. Your account of prices you have had to pay for common commodities, and your remarks on the quality of such articles, were very acceptable, as trustworthy confirmation of the stories one reads in the papers. But I am glad you got relief from “91”; otherwise, had I been in your place, I should have felt very tempted to steal. I should think that by now many of these inconveniences will have been removed and supplies of everyday necessaties will be at hand in regular sequence. I note that you are trying to carry on conversations with the natives in their own tongue. Regarding the difficulty of following their apparently rapid speech, take the first chance of getting to know how to tell them to speak slower, and have it ready for use at an instance notice. If done politely you could thus arrest the incomprehensible flow at any moment. By comparison, I judge that, acquiring a language orally and without the aid of a teacher, must involve much patient persistence at first but always remember in this, as with many things, progress gets greater as progress is made. Sticking to it in the early stages is the greatest obstacle to overcome. There are plenty of jobs, where a knowledge of French and German, is the means of holding the job, the technical qualifications become of only secondary importance. But with the perfection of both qualifications a jolly good job may be got and held.
What steps if any, have you taken to get back to civilian life again? This is a question you will need to give very serious consideration.
Unfortunately in cases, such as yours and mine, as much as one would like to occupy themselves in art, science or some such pursuit, for the sake of the knowledge and pleasure to be got, some work has to be tackled, which is more or less congenial, as a means of earning money wherewith to pay for the necessities of life, or bunching all together to live. Therefore your first requirement is a job earning enough to live and a little to spare. Then you might occupy your spare time in the study of that particular occupation you would like to follow all the time. And if you have ability in that particular direction you fancy, then, very soon by patience and application you could, I think, make a change over, probably at a slight sacrifice, but this you would soon recover. If I can be of any service in this respect, say the word, and I will do all I can for you. I can get you some good advice re Architectural Draftsmanship.
We had a jolly holiday at “91” at Xmas but were short of two people to complete our happiness. It is I believe, the intention to have a family reunion just so soon as one can be fired up. Oh! Let it be so. The Daily Mail had a picture on the back page the other day, of a Demobilisation Board whose sign was – “it may be 4 years or it may be forever”. We had a bit of fun with Chas, for which I afterwards felt sorry. I tempted him (at Alice’s instigation) to do something, he did it, felt was “had”, and retired showing that he felt he had been made a fool of. It was “nobbut fun” and I was disappointed for I thought he would have parted with such feelings long ago.
With love from Alice and myself and with the best of wishes for the year 1919. I am your affectionate brother, Harry.

Harry Letter 11th Jan

Hill Top, Bank Crest, Baildon, Shipley
11th Jan 1919

Dear John

Thanks for yours of 29th Dec, which I got a day or two after having written to you. I can now give you better advice on how to get demobilised, for in today’s Daily Mail there are full instructions on how to go about it. I will give you extracts of the parts which fit your case and I will call them I, II, III.
1) Get from your commanding officer If you have not yet done so) what is called a Civil Employment Form. Fill it up and return it to him. He will forward it to the proper authority. The form is known as A.F.Z.16.
II) If you have work waiting for you, and it is with the firm employed you before 4th Aug 1914, get your employer to fill up a declaration asking for you. The employer will send this to the Employment Exchange nearest to his place of business. The Exchange will send it to you. You will then hand it to your Commanding Officer, and you will then be on his list for your turn in the demobilisation plans.
III) If you have work waiting for you, and it is not with the firm who employed you before 4th Aug 1914, get the employer who wants you to fill in form E.E.406.

Preference is give to:
Married men: X Long service men, including pre-war time X, expired men, wounded men, and the nature of the work a man is going to do ie essential or luxury trade. At least 10% of each draft must fall under X X.

Now let us analyse this position. It seems pretty clear to me that if you adopt the Course II, the preferential selection will considerably delay your release. Now, I have never had the opportunity of finding or measuring the elasticity of your conscience, but I judge that you would not stand against a suggestion I am going to make viz, that we use Course III; then we might secure an early release for you. The firm which I am connected – see – is in a line of business which commands preference. I could get them to fill up form E.D.406, and I think I could trust you to play your part. I should like to be instrumental in the same manner in the interests of Will. But perhaps Father could ? up for him. I will write Father and explain the situation to him. In the meantime let me know what you think.
I am extremely glad you are more comfortable now than you have been for so long a time and hope he day when I shall see you in Civvies again is not far off.
The best advice I can give you, is to repeat all that I have previously given, the best part of which is, that for success one must try their hardest and discipline their life to the performance of irksome tasks and duties cheerfully. Nothing is acquired without great and continual effort and application. But, alas I am no example of my preaching. Love from A & your affec bro, Harry.

Harry Letter 4th Feb (1)

Hill Top, Bank Court, Baildon, Shipley
4th Feb 1919

Thanks for your of the 27th. I note the delay is due to you having given thought to my suggestion. I am glad you agree, and for others sake as well as yours, I hope it will come off all right. I only wish I could make the offer a real one. However it will afford me some satisfaction if I can be instrumental in effecting your release, after which we can talk of what you will do. And if something does not turn up at once I think you will be all right. You must see your officer soon after you receive this. Cancel the form you have filled in and make out a fresh one. You will be able to do this by referring to the enclosed copy of a demobilsation card which I have made out and am posting today. If the question of relationship crops up, admit it but do not say anything to anybody about the arrangement between us. If you do have need to speak of it, then say as little as possible. In the meantime get it into your head that “your brother’s firm have offered you a job which you have accepted & want to be demobilised as soon as possible”. Good luck and hopes to see you in civvies soon.
Your affec bro, Harry.

Harry Letter 4th Feb (2)

Following letter written on company letterhead:
Nicholl and Nunn, Consulting Engineers
62 King’s Arcade, Market Street, Bradford

Partners
J.C. Nicholl A.M. Inst, C.E.
H.V. Nunn A.M.I. Mech.

Driver J.P. Nunn No. 706674
331 St Brigade RFA, Battery Staff C. Battery
BEY, France
4 Feb 1919

Dear John
I was glad to hear from you that you had decided to accept the offer I made you. My partner is in full agreement with me and I have therefore obtained, filled in, and posted the necessary form asking for your early release. You will of course know how to take the necessary steps your end. The salary is not large, but I believe you when you say you are willing to work hard and try hard, and for this reason, with the help I can give you, I think you will soon make good. Hoping you will soon be free to take up your job here. I am your affectionate brother
Harry

Copy of Part of the Application Form for Release:

We are pleased to give employment to the man named below, as soon as he is discharged from His Majesty’s Forces, and shall be glad therefore, if arrangements can be made for his early release from the forces…

Nature of Employment Offered : Draftsman (Engineering)
Rate of Wages 30/- per week.

Wednesday March 5th

Made a complaint about not knowing anything about our demob.

Thursday March 6th

Sent to Mobile Cheval – faked it for treatment

Friday March 7th

Sent to Ciney for Ravitaillement(?) canteen stuff for Brigade

Saturday March 8th

Party of 27, 14 and 15 men going home tomorrow. I am sweating for Monday.

I have no idea what Mobile Cheval or Ravitaillement Canteen stuff means.

Harry Letter 2nd March

2/3/19
Dear John
Just a few lines to say I got yours of the 17th and was glad to hear that you managed to fill in the fresh form. You will perhaps have an idea of how things are moving as regards your turn. If you have any reason to suspect any undue delay, let me know and I will see if I can do anything at this end to ginger things up a bit. I am not surprised at the small response to the call for volunteers for the army of occupation, for I shouldn’t be one of them. Accept my warmest congratulations on your wining a silver medal. “91” will be proud of you. So am I. I should dearly like you to take up one of your interests in life, some particular pursuit, for if you can get so far in any particular study for which you have an interest, your spare time will be spent in a very agreeable way and afterwards you will not have so many regrets that much of your time has been wasted. Did you come second to the play-writer in the essay competition? Speaking of essays and literary efforts will you read carefully the enclosed cuttings and comment on them briefly. I should like to have your opinion. So with our best love and wishes. I am your affec bro, Harry.

Friday March 14th

Rest day with C/331 Brigade

Saturday March 15th

Left Ossogne for 5th Army Brigade at Dore near Namur. Family Guizlet and Founemont very sad, me also

Monday March 17th

73rd Battery – expecting to go to Blighty on 24th

Tuesday March 18th

73rd Battery won medals for Brigade knockout football competition.

Wednesday March 19th

Expecting to move at end of month

Friday March 28th

Snowing all day

Sunday March 30th

Picquet

Monday March 31st

No idea of entraining yet

Tuesday April 1st

Letter from Sylvia

Translated Letters from Ossogne

(note: these letters were translated in 2012, many thanks to Gabriel Hardy. Note: Jack was at the time a common nickname for John)

Ossogne, 23rd January 1919

 Dear Friend Jack,

It is with pleasure that we have received some news from you and to see that you have arrived in Namur safely. We were sad with your departure and can’t wait for the day you will come back to us. We hope that you have seen your brother and that you enjoy yourself in your new place. Mimile often asks for Jack but Jack do not respond. Now it is very cold but we hope you are well covered and that you are as warm as here in our home. I finish, my dear friend Jack, by sending you my friendly wishes and hoping to see you soon. All the regards of Marie and a big kiss from Mimile

Your friends in Ossogne,

Emile, Marie and Mimile

PS: I asked Fred to write down your address

Ossogne, 2nd February 1919

My dear friend Jack,

I can’t wait responding to your letter that we received with great joy. We learned with pleasure that you have received a letter from your mother. We accept all heartedly her thanks although what we have done for you did not deserve it. It was all heartedly that we did fulfil this duty to you and you have paid us generously for what we have done. I am informing you that we have received the shoes. We are now wearing good shoes thanks to you and both your comrades. But I am not happy that Fred and Wilhem refuse to accept some money. We will never be able to repay back our debt to you three.

I am also letting you know that since yesterday we have some electricity for the lights. It is much better than when you were with us. You will see when you come back on the date fixed to the 18th this month as you told us in your letter and we are really happy in anticipation. We will try to celebrate your return the best we can. We often talk about you here and Mimile often pronounces your name. We are glad to learn that you are not too badly accommodated in your convent as it is now winter. We hope that you have studied well in Champion and that you do not regret your stay there. I thank you for the cigarette box Fred gave me on your behalf. Fred and Wilhem also gave me one each and I hope you have received yours as well. We sometime play cards to spend time in the evening. Yesterday, the soldiers did a small concert at the school. They also played cards, played piano and did sing a lot.

I now conclude, my dear Jack, by sending you my friendly wishes. I wish you to spend the last few days before your return with patience and in good health. Receive a thousand kisses from Mimile as well as our gratitude and our most sincere friendship. Goodbye and see you soon. Your friends forever. Emile, Marie and Mimile.

A Ossoyne, Havelange

Friendly wishes from Fred and Wilhem and also Willy as well as my parents.

Ossogne, 22nd March 1919.

Dear good friends Jack and Fred,

We have received both your letters with joy. We are pleased you sleep with civilians. We hope they are good to you and that you enjoy yourself at Dore.

Here we do not enjoy ourselves as we did with you. We play nothing. In the evening, we go often to Julie. We do not lodge soldiers anymore and Marie is still as the day you left. We hope we will get some news next week. No letter from Bill yet. A soldier that went with him did write to Ossogne. He has returned to England.

If you can again visit us before the return, you will please us a lot. We will make a good cup of coffee. Please do write the day you will have a promenade in Ossogne, maybe you will see the little boy waiting for you.

Please do try to sleep here to entertain us again. When Little Mimille goes to bed near the bed you slept in, he asks “Where is Jack?, Where is Fred?”. But nobody answers.

I am still working in the wood and has no one for the Sunday promenade. Yesterday, there was again a concert at the school with a lot of soldiers “Zig Zay”. We are hoping to receive a letter from Fred. If it is not written in good French, it does not matter. Here a lot of young ladies are always in tears, especially Sylvie that does not have her small sausage (translators note: salami pork sausage, no double meaning in French) and no more kiss.  
 
I finish here dear friends and send the friendly greetings of us three and also of our parents from Ossogne and Malihoux that would like to see you again as well. So the faster you come back, the faster we will be happy. See you soon and good bye. I send you a handshake from Ossogne. From Marie a hello, from Mimile a big kiss to both of you.
 
Emile, Marie and Mimile.
 
Your friend always and forever.

Ossogne, 26th March 1919

Dear Friend Jack,

I have received your letter that pleased me a lot as well as Dad, Mum and Antoinette Hilena, Marie and Sylvie when I learned you are in good health.

When you will go back to England, you can write to me often and me too. Before you go back to England, you could do with some leaves, to allow you to visit us again. It is a pity you had to go as we enjoyed ourselves a lot in your company.

I hope you will never forget Ossogne and that you will keep some good memories

Antoinette has made a full recovery now as well as all the family. Pass our best regards to your friend Fred.

Receive Jack our regards from all of us and to your comrades too.

Gaston

Ossogne, Sunday evening 30th March 1919

My dear friend Jack,

It was a great pleasure for me seeing one of your letter arriving. I thank you (using polite form for you) sincerely. I can see that you have not forgotten me. I was sad seeing you on your departure as there was already three months that you were with us. I will never forget Christmas day and the beautiful evening you spent with us. You tell me in your letter that you go to dance but not the Belgian dances as you did dance very well here already. I hope that you do not have too much work and that you are not as tired. Since you (polite form) went, we have some new soldiers. You ask me if I befriended one but I have not yet. They are not to my taste. Here at the local pub, we see six of them. I hope you are glad of your return to England as English Women have been waiting a long time to see their friends back. I would like when you are back that you send me a picture of you in civilian clothes. I hope you will write to me when back in England and that you will not forget what I have asked you.

I finish so ma letter my dear Jack. If your friend Fred is with you, could you please transmit him my friendly wishes. Antoinette is sending you a lot of kisses as well. While I am waiting for the pleasure of receiving some news from you, receive my dear Jack a thousand kisses from your old friend who is thinking of you.

(She is now using slang language that does make sense to me, she must be using a nickname for Jack) Goodbye “Pierodelly” my little droplet of water well understood isn’t it.

Compliment from Gaston and all the family

Sylvie Collignon.

Leaving Ossogne

The above is my very last diary entry for the war period,

Saturday March 15th, the day I left Ossogne for Dore, was sad day for the Family Gruslet and friends Fournemont and also the Collignon Family. It was sad for me too but I was dying to get back to Blighty so that thought tempered my sadness.

Not all the Battery left Ossogne on that day, only part, but I cant remember whether Bill Marriott or Laurence Pollard or any other of my friends were with me. We were sent to Dore, just outside Namur and according to my diary I was now with the 73rd Battery of the 5th Army. I remember it was called a “Cadre Battery”, another strange army term which understood to be a “loose battery” or “floating battery”.

Nor do I remember any incident (excepting one) which happened all the time we were at Dore and I was there 6 or 7 weeks. I know that we were able to get frequent evening and sometime day passes to go into Namur, and though I took advantage of these I have no recollection of any part of Namur.

Of all other occupations or happenings at Dore I can remember nothing. In fact the next recorded item in my life was that of Demobilization, which took place on May 14th 1919.

Back to Blighty

About the beginning of May I must have left Dore along with others and arrived at a camp about 3 or 4 miles outside Dunkirk. This time we had no horses with us and it was fairly certain that we were on our way to Blighty. In fact, a day or two after arriving at this camp (which was a big one and housed many more men than our own party)quite a large section of troops were marched to the Dunkirk quay and sailed away to England. While we were in this camp about only one thing that happened was a thorough medical inspection. Fortunately by this time I was completely de-loused, but I remember on of the men examined was found to be in a shocking lousy state and he was ordered to have all his hairy parts shaved off and to cleanse himself thoroughly. He was a married man and realizing that his hair would not have re-grown by the time of his demobilization he was almost demented, for he was certain that his wife would not understand the reason for his hairlessness, however much he claimed that the reason was lice.
At last came the day when we were paraded and marched to the quayside, on which stood at ease but still in columns for about 3 hours. The weather was extremely windy, everyone was very excited. But instead of boarding the boat we had orders for a round a bout turn and were marched back to camp. The reason we got for this was the ship’s captain considered it too wind for sailing. As I write now my memory tells me that this happened again on the following day, but I may be exaggerating this. I do remember however quite clearly that on the day we did sail it was equally as windy as the first day and after standing on the quayside for some time we began to get in a mutinous state at the delay and reason given against us embarking. As far a I was concerned (and others too) I could not care less however rough the weather was, I was quite prepared to sail if the Captain would take us. At last however we embarked in the early afternoon and started our journey. No sooner than we were in the Channel than the proof of the Captain’s unwillingness became apparent. I have never at anytime at sea experienced a more exciting as well as frightening journey.
Outside the harbour as the boat gathered speed, the wind set up through the rigging and masts to a terrific and continuous screech and the boat began to roll and heave in all direction and the sea came over the sides at regular intervals. The journey could not have been dangerous otherwise we should not have been allowed on the open deck at all. Nevertheless the excitement of looking over the side and seeing the sea some distance down from the deck and the next moment seeing a tremendous wave sweeping towards us gave us the feeling that at any minute the ship would be swamped and at times some of the wave would belt the sides of the vessel and cause us to stagger and shudder.
And when we reached the entrance to Dover harbour the sea was still so turbulent that we thought we should hit the end of the jetties, but no we were or appeared to be carried into the harbour on top of a big wave. Quite frankly my thought, during the crossing, of ever seeing England again were at a very low ebb.
I do not remember but I think that night was spent in a camp at Dover and the following day we were given railway warrants to travel to our inspection places for demobilization. In my case I was directed to go to Heaton Park outside Manchester and there after handing in certain items of equipment I received my demobilization certificate.

 

What a strange manner the army has of describing the release of an employee as being “Disembodied in Demobilization!”

 

Journey of the Royal Field Artillery C Battery 331 Brigade 66th Division

Le Havre March 12 1917
Haverskerque March 15th
Vieille Chappelle March 22nd
Givenchy March 23rd
Festubert March 23rd
Locon March 26th
La Bassee March 29th
Essars April 2nd
Merville June 29th
Hazebrouck July 8th
Wormhout July 8th
Les Moeres July 10th
Furness July 12th
Nieuport Coxyde July 13th
& and La Pannes July 13th

Vlamertinge Oct 8th
Ypres Oct 9th
Brandhoek Oct 27th
Caestre Oct 30th
Strazeele Oct 30th
Vieux Berquin Oct 30th
Le Doulieu Oct 30th
Zonnebeke Nov 15th
Reningelst Dec 9th
Friezenberg(?) Jan 6th 1918
Dikkebus Jan 20th
Poperinge Jan 30th
Rosebrugge Feb 10th
Guillecourt(?) Feb 19th
Templeaux la Fosse March 3rd
Roisel March 21st
Mesnil March 22nd
Tincourt March 22nd
Cartigny March 22nd
Brie March 23rd
Villers Carbonnel March 23rd
Assevillers March 23rd
Proyart March 25th
Chuignolles March 25th
Mericourt March 25th
Villers Bretonneux March 26th
Blangy Trouville March 26th
Domart sur la Lac March 27th
Moreuil March 27th
Ailly Sur Noye March 27th
Jumel March 28th
Guyencourt March 28th
Remiencourt March 28th
Dommartin March 29th
St Nicholas March 29th
Glezy(?) March 29th
Boves April 1st
Gentelles
?
Clairy April 10th
Bacouel Wood April 12th
Beaucourt April 12th
Pont de Metz April 13th
Arncke April 15th
Poperinge April 19th
Watou April 26th
Houtkerque April 27th
St Omer
Kemmel May 15th
Winnezeele May 23rd
?
Houdain
Lapugnoy June 12th
St Vincent
Ypres July
Poperinge
Kemmel Aug 26th
Sheelonburg
Busseboom(?) Sep 6th
Caestre
Strazele
Steenwercke Sep 9th
Armentieres Sep 28th
outside Lille Oct 18th
Erquinghem Oct 19th
Strazele Oct 21st
Beaurevoir Oct 24th
Rumont? Oct 25th
Serain Oct 26th
Le Cateau Oct 27th
Bousies
Landrecies Nov 5th
Moreuil Nov 7th
Marbaix Nov 8th
St Hilaire Nov 9th
Avesnes
? Le Chateau Nov 11th

Dinant
Ciney
Havelange
Huy
Ossogne Dec 1918
Namur Jan 16 1919
Dore March 15
England April 1919

 

 

End