This section of my grandfather's little diary takes him up to the beginning of the Battle of Loos.

SEPTEMBER 1915

Wednesday 1st

Arrived home at 2.30am. Went to bed at 9.00am. Nothing doing. Went to trenches again at 6.30pm. Rained, terribly soaked. Worked all night. Nothing touched us.

Thursday 2nd

Marched from trenches and got on buses and arrived at Houchin. Marched in rain to bivouac outside town. Terribly wet. Slept outside in wood—quite warm. Nothing doing during day. Went to tea with Bombers. Went to Verquin—nice evening. Pretty girl at Cafe Esquebough. Bon! Got home just at nine, rotten night’s sleep.

Friday 3rd

Rained all night and day. One parade. Went to Verquin—another very good night. Soaked and had rotten night’s sleep.

Saturday 4th

Fine weather—nothing doing. Moved at 5.30 to Noeux les Mines, a short march. Billeted in barn. Real bed. Fine night’s sleep

Sunday 5th

Rise 7.30am. Church parade and day off. Not much of a place—dirty. Stroll up typical straight French military road. Rumours of something big. A, B, C, Coys go up to Les Brely Dremains? Bed at nine.

Monday 6th

Up at 7.30am. Breakfast in bed. Parade for open order drill. New idea for attack. More drill in afternoon. Write to father and L.T. Finish Vachell’s Booths [?]

Tuesday 7th

Up at 7.30am. Usual training. Route march in afternoon—awfully hot. Nothing of note occurs. Fine day.

Wednesday 8th

Usual training. More heat. Receive snaps in good letter from Emmerson. He commissioned 3/5th Leicesters. Write to him. Champagne with Seal and Shelley. Bon! Read until late.

Thursday 9th

Parade 7.45am. March six miles and practise form of attack likely to be used later. In reserve. Time spent in getting things in order. Home 5.30pm. No dinner and no tea. Visit to pastry shop. Bed early.

Friday 10th

Up 7am. Parade 8.45. Short morning on extended drill order. Bombardment on right. Rumours of moving to Le Brely. Go by bus to Brely and, getting implements, go digging to left of former position at Maroc. Two hours through communication trenches. 23rd London in the line. Uneventful.

Saturday 11th

Get to bed at 4am. Up at 9am. Poor breakfast. Read Kipling’s Barrack-room Ballads from L—. Fine day and much gunfire at planes. Billeted in empty house—one of few untouched by shellfire. Went digging at 7pm. Nothing doing. Shelling.

Sunday 12th

Up at ll.00am. Awfully hot day. Had a swim in afternoon at Mines. Digging at Maroc. Easy time in communication trench. Lots of shells.

Monday 13th

Went back by buses to Noeux les Mines. Billet decent part of town empty house. Up at 11.30am. No breakfast—rations still very short. Walked halfway to Houchin in evening. Bed early.

Tuesday 14th

Up at six, parade at 7.45am. Field day. Short rehearsal of attack. Dinner at 1.30pm. Moved to Brely in evening—tiring march. Good billet. Parcel from L—. Bon! Slept well.

Wednesday 15th

Parade 7.45am. March to Maroc. Digging just behind the line. Shells drop about 50 yds away. Continual shelling. Home and tea at 5.30pm. Orders to move back to Noeux les Mines. Much cursing. Good billet in shop, sleep well.

Thursday 16th

Up at 9.30am. Nothing doing. Paid—about time too. Gilly transferred as Cpl. to 14th platoon D Coy. Went digging at Maroc Sap 4. Fall in dug-out—nasty cut. Fine dug-out, good sleep. Fair amount of shelling.

Friday 17th

Up at 7.00am. Nothing doing during day. Digging at night. Sleep in artillery observation post dugout. Bon! Shelling very close, bits in the trench.

Saturday 18th

Up late. Swim in mines condenser, very fine. Digging same as previous night. Meet with something ominous on way home [not explained]. Buses to Noeux les Mines. Awful billet so Gilly and I sleep in field— not bad. Sleep until 4pm. Tea out.

Sunday 19th

Get up at 4pm and have breakfast and dinner. Have tea out and retire in another billet. Gilly and I have room to ourselves on earthern floor near horse slaughter house.

Monday 20th

Parade for extended order exercise. Route march in afternoon. Meet with bombers—one last fling before “The Day”. Bombardment begins on French lines. Champagne and musical. Feel happy and sleep well.

Tuesday 21st

Parade for battalion—scourge, very hot and tiring. Home at 1pm. Bombardment on British lines fairly heavy. “The Day” approaches. Go out to tea with A Coy.

Wednesday 22nd

Rumours that we go up the line. Bombardment has apparently commenced. Very heavy firing. Nothing much doing, ordinary field work and route march.

Thursday 23rd

No parades. Hand in overcoats and get ammunition. Much firing. Division concentrates at Noeux les Mines. Lively night, cold.

Friday 24th

Get our final orders. [Following is interpretation of diary which is difficult to read at this point.] Poor Germans—wonder if prepared for biggest battle in history. 312 miles front line—1,000,000 men. Harangue by Colonel about fine preparations. Move to Maroc at 8pm. Excitement growing. Awful shell fire. Go up to Maroc.

The Battle of Loos started at 5.45am the next day.

NOTE: No part of this document to be re-printed or published in any form without specific written permission of W A M MacCormick © W A M MacCormick 2006