July 9th 1915
Arrived in bivouacs about 8am absolutely done up. Slept nearly all day.
July 9th
Relieved by 8th R.B and went back into dug-outs in St. Nicholas just at the end of the Communication trench. Plenty of fruit knocking about here.
July 3rd
Went into front line again to take over from 8th R.B. Battalion came in at night.
Nothing much doing except a Camouflet exploded on D Company’s front.
We can hear the constant bombardment on the Somme.
July 1st
A mine went up on the 43rd Brigade front just to our right this afternoon, and the one on our front tonight at about eleven o’clock followed by a pretty lively bombardment. K.R.R’s suffered rather heavily.
June 30th 1915
These trenches are not the most pleasant place to be in. In fact this particular spot is known as the “Gate of Hell” and not without reason. We occupied this position until July 8th during which time we lost 21 men (6 killed and 21 wounded). The trenches had only recently been captured from the Germans and required a lot of labour to get them into anything like a safe condition; the Durhams, who we relieved, lost very heavily here. We had to work practically night and day for th
June 29th
Had to appear before the C.O on a charge of losing by neglect one respirator ‘admonished’. Left about 8pm to take over trenches. I with one man in charge of a load of sandbags and what a journey we had; all went well until we got beyond Ypres when we were shelled; the second shell skimming the top of our wagon causing the horses to bolt on a road full of shell holes; how the wagons managed to keep on their wheels I don’t know.
June 27th 1915
Church parade at 8.45am. 12 noon fatigue to draw tools for trench digging. Parade again at 6.45pm and marched through Ypres to trenches just behind firing line; came rather as a shock to us to see bodies lying about for the first time; our fellows buried 10 including a Seaforth officer and a RAME officer. A shell dropped right in the trench in which we had been working just as we had got clear. Arrived back in camp at about 3.30am.
June 27th 1916
Battalion was relieved by 8t
June 26th 1915
Route march to Elverdinghe; allowed to break off here for about twenty minutes to look around; this place is not so much damaged as some other places we have seen except the church which is in ruins. On the way back we ran across Dale (one of the porters from Tavistock Street) with a batch of artillery drivers. Medical inspection on return to camp.
June 26th 1916
I went back into second line with three guns to stay with the 8th Battalion who were coming in.
June 24th 1915
Inspections in the morning. Two hours route march in the afternoon and parade at 7.15pm for digging – marched out through Ypres and worked on a communication trench; arrived back in camp about 3.30am. What a state Ypres is in. An earthquake couldn’t have made a greater mess of it; houses reduced to heaps of bricks, big shell holes and heaps of rubbish in the streets.
June 23rd 1915
Formed part of a working party (25 men of each platoon) digging trenches just to right of Ypres; started out about 5.30am and arrived back in camp about 6pm.
June 22nd
Drill in morning but had to break off abruptly and take cover in dugouts expecting to be shelled but this appeared to be a matter of precaution as no shelling took place. Very heavy fire by our artillery in the evening. Came across the grave of Capt. Grenfell VC in Vlamertinghe.
***********If anyone has any infomation on Capt. Grenfell VC I'd be grateful*********************
June 21st 1915
Drill and dugout building.
June 21st 1916
Battalion came in to take over. These trenches had been lost about a fortnight previously by the Warwicks but were retaken the same night by the K.O.S.B. who were coming in to relieve the Warwicks. A mine was exploded during the attack. Nothing very exciting happened during our occupation except in C Company sector where the trench was filled up every day by heavy trench mortars. One officer of C Company (Mr Moseley(?) was killed.
June 20th 1915
Shells dropped in camp of 9th Battn. Causing about 24 casualties; this was about a quarter of a mile from us. Shifted to huts a little further up the road. Started digging dugouts and were shelled before finishing but no damage done.
June 20th 1916
I went up with Lewis Gunners to take over positions from K.O.S.B. (K(?) sector Roclincourt). Fritz dropped a few big trench mortars right in the trench just in front of us as we were going up, as a sort of a welcome, and filled th
June 19th
We were allowed to go into Vlamertinghe to make purchases. This place is pretty well smashed about but not so badly as Ypres. Nothing remains of the church but the bare walls.
June 18th
Left about 9pm and came back to Vlamertinghe. Two spies captured in Ypres dressed as British officers.
***** I wonder what happened to the spies - short shrift I would imagine? ********
June 17th
Dug ourselves in as a protection against shell fire. Ypres is absolutely a heap or ruins; we utilised the gasworks in which to do our cooking.
June 16th
Very heavy artillery fire nearly all day. Left about midday for Ypres meeting on the way a batch of German prisoners. In bivouacs alongside railway just outside Ypres.
June 15th
Left again at 9pm; in the dark in more senses than one for nobody apparently had any idea where we were going. Passed through Poperinghe (this we hear is about the only town in Belgium that has escaped injury to any great extent) and halted just outside Vlamertinghe where we learned that we were reserves for an attack that was being made next morning. Slept on the ground.
