Grandfather's War Diary, part nine
In which my grandfather is politicall incorrect in his description of an Irish regiment
FEBRUARY 1916
Tuesday 1st
Stand to at 5am. Much cursing at early hour. Hundreds of whizz bangs over during the day but no casualties. Do a little sniping during the day but get little in the way of targets. Stand to 4.30 to 5.30pm. Quiet night and owing (to) hour early. Have quite a good sleep.
Wednesday 2nd
Stand to 5am until 7am. Too long—staff get up at 9am and don’t know when it gets light. Awful job getting breakfast. Takes three hours and then White knocks sausages over. Would like to knock his head off. Short of men, so refrain. Read and eat chocolate in dug-out. Company troublesome when trying to sleep. Early duty sleep well.
Thursday 3rd
Stand to 5am. A good deal of shelling today but otherwise nothing doing. Have good fun with a German working party at night. Quiet and fine night. Sleep well but wake up to receive Munsters—wild ignorant Irishmen. Dull lot, absolutely undisciplined.
Friday 4th
Stand to at 5am. Tired and feeling fed up in consequence. Spend day in looking for something to kill. End up by sniping at telegraph poles and mine head. Hit latter. Read and eat chocolates but can’t sleep. Glad to get to sleep at night. Wet night but get duty over before rain comes on.
Saturday 5th
Wet stand to. Relieved today, so day passes quickly. Roam around trenches unearthing French bayonet. Quite good. Get artillery to shell mine. Our new shells play havoc on opposing trench line north of Loos. Get relieved by 8th at 8.30pm. Hang about until 9. Scourge down Haymarket, Whitehall, and Piccadilly. Wish it had been London. Maroc at 12 and Noeux les Mines at 3am. Tired and sleep on bed.
Sunday 6th
Up at 12am. Inspections at 4pm. Good feed in our billet with A Coy. chaps. Play cards and have an enjoyable time. Bed early and sleep extremely well.
Monday 7th
Up at 8.30. Inspections—many and unnecessary. Spend afternoon reading and writing letters. Go out with Prit. Lovely cherry tart and Muscat wine. Enjoy ourselves generally. Home early. Retire at 10 good sleep.
Tuesday 8th
Up at 7 for bath at 7.30. Splendid bath at Mines. Glad for a change, first for 24 days. Too bad. Roam about in afternoon and visit pastry shop. Go to pictures in the evening and enjoy them very much indeed. Very funny, particularly piece called Bébé. Good supper and funny talk. Bed at 10.30 feeling tired. Trenches tomorrow—ugh!
Wednesday 9th
Up at 8 o’clock and have little to do as we march into reserve trench today. Will this be last turn in? Hope so. Go into old German line captured on 25th. Plenty of good dug-outs. Poor sleep.
Thursday 10th
On duty early but have very easy day in a shocking trench. No shelling and hardly remember that war is on. Move up to advanced support and have a little dug-out and manage to sleep quite well. Trenches still pretty muddy.
Friday 11th
Stand to at 5am and then turn in and do not go out of dug-out until evening. Spend day in reading, writing and sleeping. Move up to front line in evening and take over 16 platoon. Up most of the night.
Saturday 12th
Stand to at 5am. Quite quiet to commence with. Three bombers buried by trench mortars. Chaps feel dull. This part of the line has been very unlucky for D Coy. Another bomber killed by rifle grenade. Take turn of duty with officers and they have a rather easier time. Fine night and quiet. (See notes for casualties)
Sunday 13th
Expected to go back to reserve tonight, but get news that we continue for two more days. Just like the army. Some rain during the day but quiet on the whole. Enemy aeroplane brought down near Double Crassier. Much shelling of aeroplanes. Duty 7-9 and sleep until stand to.
Monday 14th
Stand to at 5am. Cold and raining. Rum issue very welcome. Mine goes up on left about 7am. Little excitement soon dies away and daily strafe commences. Some rain. Go back into support an O.G! Good rum ration. Sleep well in good dug-out.
Tuesday 15th
Relief today but awful day owing to heavy rain. Stay in dug-out all day. Stand in trench in freezing rain for two and a half hours and then march to Noeux les Mines. Fine feed of ham and chicken. Splendid night’s sleep in good old hut.
Wednesday 16th
Up early and entrain from Noeux les Mines to Lillers. Terrible gale. Trees blown down across roads. Carts blown off roads, Long march to Cauchy à la Tour. Get a jolly fine billet in butchers shop. Good mess and seem likely to have a good time.
Thursday 17th
Spend most of the day cleaning up and inspections. Quite a decent little place. Take French lessons and fancy they may be interesting. Go to bed fairly early.
Friday 18th
Up at 7.30am. Sundry inspections and equipping during a.m. Interview by Brig. at Rimbert in p.m. goes off alright. Spend a good night round fire in estaminet. Bed early.
Saturday 19th
Up at six owing (to) my watch stopping. Still fine morning and enjoy the air. Plenty of inspections and fine weather.
Sunday 20th
Church parade but do not attend. Interview with Major General.
Monday 21st
Rain falls heavily and prevents much work.
Tuesday 22nd
Parades
Wednesday 23rd
Parades
Thursday 24th
Parades and route march
Friday 25th
Parades
Saturday 26th
Parades
Sunday 27th
Church
Monday 28th
Nothing out of ordinary. Rumours of trek. Footer “6ths” beat C Coy. 3-1.
Tuesday 29th
Footer sixes comp. begins. Beat A Coy. 6-2.
Notes:
Men killed on the 12th February:
1939 L/Cpl John Richards Appleby, 1/20th London Regt (Blackheath & Woolwich). KiA 12.2.16. Aged 25 he was the son of John and Harriet Appleby, of South Cary, Castle Cary, Bath. He is buried in MAROC BRITISH CEMETERY, GRENAY, grave I. C. 11.
1935 Pte Aubrey Goodridge, 1/20th London Regt (Blackheath & Woolwich). KiA 12.2.16. Aged he was the son of Simon and Elizabeth Goodridge, of 184, Balmoral Rd., Gillingham, Kent. He is buried in MAROC BRITISH CEMETERY, GRENAY, grave I. C. 12.
3072 Pte Jonathan George Laflin, B Company, 1/20th London Regt (Blackheath & Woolwich). KiA 12.2.16. Aged 20 he was the son of Jonathan and Henrietta Laflin, of Ipswich Rd., Offton, Ipswich, Suffolk. He is buried in MAROC BRITISH CEMETERY, GRENAY, grave I. C. 10.
3687 Pte Frank Weller, 1/20th London Regt (Blackheath & Woolwich). KiA 12.2.16. Aged 22 he was the son of Arthur and Frances Elizabeth Weller, of 88, High St., Penge, London. He is buried in MAROC BRITISH CEMETERY, GRENAY, grave I. C. 13.
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
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