Grandfather's War Diary, part ten
In which he gets offered a commission and the battalion moves from Loos to Souchez, near Vimy.
MARCH 1916
Wednesday 1st
Route march. Footer beat l9th Coy. 4-3.
Thursday 2nd
Final and Semi-final of Footer Comp.
Semi-final Beat 17th 6-2
Final Beat M.G. 7-1
Speech by Brig. Happy as sandboys. Offered Com. (commission) in 20th and accept.
Friday 3rd
Day off.
Saturday 4th
Trek begins and we march to Enguingente. Sleep in estaminet after terrible march in snow storm.
Sunday 5th
Training goes on in spite of snow. Coy. parades. See Brig. in p.m. Everything alright.
Monday 6th
Battalion day. Quite a scourge. Firing and training and much snow.
Tuesday 7th
Brigade day. In reserve and have an easy day. C.O. gets made a Brig. and says goodbye.
Wednesday 8th
March to Bailleul les Pernes and have a nice bed and mess. Not a bad march on the whole.
Thursday 9th
March to Calonne-Ricouart, passing through Cauchy. Get great reception. Not a bad move. Have a decent bed.
Friday 10th
Day in doors. No parades.
Saturday 11th
Day in. No parades.
Sunday 12th
Walk to Auchel after church parade.
Monday 13th
March to Petit Servins. Tiring and hot march over hilly country and get billet in French huts. Quite comfortable but awful town.
Tuesday 14th
Nothing doing, but get great view from Lorette heights of Lens and Bethune, etc. Sleep well.
Wednesday 15th
March to trenches in front of Souchez. Tiring march—get shelled. Bad trenches on top of high hill. Souchez and neighbourhood badly knocked about. Quiet night.
Thursday 16th
Nothing much doing. Several mortars and aerial torpedoes sent over but little shelling and no rifle fire.
Friday 17th
St.Patrick’s Day. Usual trench work. Good work done in repairing by the chaps. More mortars and torpedoes and some shelling. Visit Sandy on the “Terrace”. Rolling shells down the slope causes just a little consternation. Mad Peter.
Saturday 18th
Stand to 4.30am. Usual day routine. Beautiful day. Sit out on “verandah” and read. French board makes a fine, if hard, deck-chair. Heavy mortaring. Some rain, but not unpleasant. Tired and have but little sleep. Gorgeous sunset behind distant hills. Feel romantic.
Sunday 19th
Stand to 4.30am. Rather colder than usual. Brig’s congrats. on fine repairing work. Well deserved. Still tired, but get some sleep. Bon feed at dinner time. Lambourne is some cook.
Monday 20th
Usual trench warfare, mortars, grenades and torpedoes. Poor old Bill Hewitt gets killed by grenades. Two more killed and three wounded. Feel a bit upset as he was a fine chap and generally liked. We strafe. (See notes)
Tuesday 21st
Relief tonight. Am not sorry as things are becoming anything but pleasant. Relief arrives about l0pm and we cut across country to Villers au Bois. Tea and then march to Estrée Cauchy. Poor billet in deserted house. Sleep well.
Wednesday 22nd
Slack day, but find a much better billet with fine bed.
Thursday 23rd
Peter Crab to return to England. Rifle firing. Quiet time.
Friday 24th
Few parades and generally slack about.
Saturday 25th
Up early for inspection by Army Corps. Commander. March to Houlin. Snow makes things wet and cold. Quiet night and sleep well.
Sunday 26th
A bath at last and about time too. Go to Fresnicourt for bath and enjoy it. Tremendous night with Denny, Swift, and Creek. Champagne flows like water. Sleep very well.
Monday 27th
Up late and march to Gouy Servins near the line. Billet in a big chateau not much of a place. Easy time, working party.
Tuesday 28th
No parades during day but go on working party to Souchez in evening. Place terribly battered. Awful scourge in rain and sleet on way back. Glad to turn in at 3.30am.
Wednesday 29th
Up late and take things very easy during day. Feel a bit off-colour so avoid dinner. Sleep well.
Thursday 30th
Easy day. Visit the Lorette heights, but not very clear for view.
Friday 31st
Working party again cancelled. Go up to hills again. Better view and glorious day. [To] Servins in evening. Very quiet.
NOTES:
Men killed on the 20th/21st were:
2835 Pte Henry Barnard, 1/20th London Reg (Blackheath & Woolwich). KiA 20.3.16. He is buried in CABARET-ROUGE BRITISH CEMETERY, SOUCHEZ, grave V. D. 10.
1207 L/Sgt Walter Hewett, 1/20th London Reg (Blackheath & Woolwich). KiA 20.3.16. Aged 22 he was the son of Edward and Margaret Hewett, of Reigate, Surrey. A Territorial. Educated at Goldsmith College, New Cross. He is buried in CABARET-ROUGE BRITISH CEMETERY, SOUCHEZ, grave V. D. 11
1541 Pte Henry Charles Williams, 1/20th London Reg (Blackheath & Woolwich). KiA 21.3.16. He is buried in CABARET-ROUGE BRITISH CEMETERY, SOUCHEZ, grave V. D. 5.
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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