MARCH

 

March 1^st: Cleaning gun down.  Cold but fine day.

 March 2^nd: Cleaning down again & generally doing nothing.

 March 3^rd: We're (?) building reserve gun pits for if (unclear) breaks through. Got shelled. (unclear)

 March 4^th: Cleaning (spare?) (unclear) in gun park

March 5^th: Letter from Evie. Went on exercise with two horses. Rest of day gun park

 March 6^th: Beautiful day like summer. Wrote Evie

 March 7^th: Same again (unclear) all day

 March 8^th: Building reserve (huts? Pits) at Boesinghe on (canal?) park

 March 9^th: Gun park again same old thing

 March 10^th: All guns going in action tonight. Stopping in wagon line for a rest

 March 11th: Same old thing again in gun park cleaning round 

 March 12^th: Went on morning excursion two horses enjoyed it still nice weather. Wrote Evie

 March 13^th: Got 4 letters today Evie, Mr (Graham Cole something?) and one from home. Answered 2 of them.

 March 14^th: Went on fatigue (?) all day building resevere gun pits. Nice day.

 March 15^th: In wagon line. Cleaning wagons down. Fine day.

 March 16^th: Same as yesterday.

 March 17^th: Received letter from Evie. Nice day.

 March 18^th: Went on (word looking like evening) horses (I assume) morning remainder day gun park

 March 19^th: Ditto 18^th

 March 20^th: Ditto 18^th and 19^th. Germans shelled Elverdinge (unclear) doing (?) very good shooting

March 21^st: Shelled wagon line hit stable. Killed 2 men, wounded 10 others. Shell riddled our hut. Just gone out in time, had very narrow escape myself got two wounded men out myself.

Killed 23 horses in stable by same shell.

March 22^nd: Bombs dropped about 100 yards away. Got letter from E and home.

 March 23^rd: Going in action morning. On gun line at 6:30 got shelled going fetching ammunition. Firing or shelling & (unclear)

 March 24^th: Firing from 1am till 2:30am. Retaliation for shelling our trench. Shelling near (unclear) with gas & HE (high explosive) shells.

 March 25^th: Ammunition replenished in morning. Fired at an ancillary (?) observer in (?) direct hit on…

 March 26th: … Barrage Hut hit by Enemy behind guns and from the small Rly (abbreviation for railway?) track. Firing back at Enemy Battery with HE (High Explosives). Had to wear gas helmets for 3 ¾ hours.

 March 27^th: Enemy firing all round very close to us. No causalities. Removing ammunition prior to moving out. 

 March 28^th: On guard evening, very quiet all round. Getting relieved by Belgians soon. Removing ammunition.

 March 29^th: Moving ammunition all day. Raining. Firing at night.

 March 30^th: Removing ammunition. Raid on French at night got S.O.S. firing from 9PM till 1AM.

 March 31^st: Getting guns out early morning. Got one in shell hole lost it. At Wagon Line night.

 

APRIL

 

April 1st: On the move. Left Woesten at 7am. Passed Kemmel at noon and leave Eglise at 3.0pm

April 2nd:  Went in action at Plug Street (unclear word) Relieved Australians in forward post (?)

April 3rd : Morning registered zero lines SOS line. Firing at night on guard. No bread biquets (briquettes? Biscuits?)

April 4th: Raining all day, no firing. 6 men to a loaf on thin slices for breakfast. 

April 5th: Cleaned gun in morning. Ammunition up 250 Rdo H.E 101-106 grange (??) Still raining, wrote to Evie.

April 6th: Cleaned gun. Still raining. Quiet day. Nothing doing. Guard at night.

 April 7th: Very nice day. German plane very low over gun not spotted us. We are only 900 yards from Enemy.

 April 8th: Morning quite (?) Heavily shelled all round gas & HE afternoon and night. Enemy advance on Right Flank.

 April 9th: Increased gas shelling by enemy early morning. Enemy infantry advanced on right flank and rear. Had to blow our gun up to avoid capture. Fought our way back with infantry who were returning. 2 of our men captured.

 April 10th: Returning with wagon line to Bailleul (?)

 April 11th: Enemy still advancing got new gun & galloped into action at Neuve Eglis on Ridge shelled and crushed by enemy. Returned at night to…

 April 12th: … dramatic heavy enemy attacks all round took Neuve Eglis & Ridge. Heavy shelling & attacks all day.

April 13th: Enemy advanced on main Neuve Eglis road. we held him below ridge in front. All attacks repulsed. 

 April 14th: Enemy attacks in morning. Slight advance by him night advanced over ridge in front of Battery.

 April 15th: Returned to (unclear) on Main Road Enemy still shelling, Belgian (?) population all going away, many houses on fire. Returned to Mont Rouge. 

 April 16th: Which was heavily shelled during the day with some civilians wounded. German attack again slightly arrival of French troops. 

April 17^th: Germans attacking in morning. Beaten back to trench on right advance 2000 yards. Firing all day. Canteen left by YMCA for us plenty of everything. 

 April 18^th: Firing in early morning. Germans attacking at Kemmel heavy firing all day.

 April 19^th: Cold day today. Still in same position. Germans shelling in rear with huge velocity guns. Heavy firing at night.

 April 20^th: Slight shelling in rear up to dinner time. Afternoon German plane up flying to find Batteries. Heavy shelling at night.

 April 21^st: Germans try to attack in morning but broken up by our fire. Enemy massing around Kemmel.

 April 22^nd: Firing all day and German infantry in Billets. Fired on Enemy Battery. Answering by shelling all over.

 April 23^rd: Rather quiet day doing nothing much doing. Enemy shelling roads & Windmill near us. We retaliated on (Unclear word)

 April 24^th: Germans shelling all our positions & trenches with gas and High Explosives. Answering him back with gas shell.

 April 25^th: German bombardment increasing. Shelling Battery very heavy. Some of our chaps wounded. 3 of our detachment. Only Sgt and me left.

 April 26^th: 3 new men up at 2am. German bombardment all night intensified at 3am attacking and taking Kemmel & (L something, place name) 4 of our guns blown up. Shells burst under gun while firing during attack, killed officer wounded 3 of us and myself very lucky escape went to hospital.

 April 27^th and 28^th: In hospital at (?) slept for these two days

 April 29^th: Still in hospital. Wound not very bad but liable to (?) owing to it being gas shell. 

 April 30^th: Hoping to go back.

 

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