June 10th 1915
8.30am had to shift our quarters into farm buildings owing to rain; left for trenches same night in support.
June 10th 1916
Relieved by 8th R.B and went back to Ecoivres by Mont St. Eloy. Stayed here until the 19th when we should have gone back to Neuville St. Vaast mining but this was cancelled at the last minute, and we had to go to Arras instead to take over the firing line again.
June 9th
Rest. Left at 8pm on fatigue party to carry material to trenches: our 8th and K.R.R’s were occupying fire trenches and were expecting an attack so we were requisitioned and kept standing too all night: arrived back in bivouac about 5am.
June 7th
Moved to Dickerbusch (Dikkebus); bivouaced in a lane as on lying picquet.
******Unsusal word 'picquet' - or do I just find it unusual as it has fallen out of regular use?**********
June 6th
Left Dranouter passing through Loker. 7th and 8th billeted together in wooden huts just outside Reninghelst. Burns accidentally shot himself whilst cleaning a revolver.
June 2nd 1915
Rest and bath; back to trenches again at night passing through Kemmel which appeared to be in a heap of ruins; one man shot in thigh whilst getting into communications trench.
June 2nd 1916
Relieved K.R.R’s at Maroeuil, going up from here every morning at 3 oclock to the front line working with the R.E’s mining. The Communication trenches here are the longest I have seen, the one we used (Territorial Trench) is between five and six kilometres.
Really comfortable billets; an
May 27th
Left Zuytpeene 6.45am and marched to Fletre via Cassel, Ste. Marie Cappel and Caestre; arriving about midday. Here I met with a slight mishap; fell into a pond when washing.
May 24th 1915
Route march past Major General Cooper and bathing parade in the canal on the way back.
May 24th 1916
Relieved by the 8th R.B and marched back to huts just beyond Mont St. Eloy.
May 22nd 1915
Short route march past General Nugent. Brigade and Company telephone wires reported cut.
May 22nd 1916
We were taken back to a large dug-out (a disused chalk mine) just outside Neuville St. Vaast on the Bethune Road. This cave is where two thousand Germans were gassed earlier in the war.
*****HELP***** This entry has always interested me. I've been trying to discover where this cave may have been and anything I can about the incident my grandfather refers to. If anyone can
May 21st 1915
Billeted in farm buildings
May 21st 1916
Fritz made a counter attack, bombarding us very heavily for about twelve hours and using a quantity of tear shells. We were called upon to lend a hand and lost a few of our men; the Sgt-Major being killed. Altogether we had a pretty rough time while it lasted from about three o’clock in the afternoon until three o’clock the following morning.
May 20th 1915
Entrained at “Pont de Briques” (44 men in a box wagon) and proceeded to “Watten” station about four hours journey and marched from there to Millam arriving about 5am 21st May.
May 20th 1916
The ‘L n L’s’ made an attack tonight and retook a crater lost a few days ago.
******An important day for the Diary. May 19th 1915 is the day my Grandfather left for France so from now on there will be two entries....one for 1915 and one for 1916 - I'll make 1915 blue and keep black for 1916*******
May 19th 1915
Left Aldershot 6pm. Embarked on “The Queen” at Folkestone 10.30pm for Boulogne, arrived about midnight
and camped there for the night.
******* I'd love to find a picture of "The Queen" - if there is anyone who can point me in the right direction I'd be ext
May 16th
Left Chelers. Part of Battalion going by ‘bus remainder of us marching to Mont St. Eloy about sixteen miles. Mont St. Eloy is a little to the left of Arras.
Our brigade is attached to the 25th Division for mining purposes on Vimy Ridge. We are occupying the support trenches.
