2nd Battalion, The Rifle Brigade

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Jan 10th.

1am - Rain stopped and work was continued on breastworks - the water however still rose and no communicating trench is now available.

3pm - Our artillery opened a very heavy fire on Neuve Chapelle to our right - No reply from the enemy.

4pm - Relived by Royal Berk's Regt in the trenches and marched into Bde Reserve

Hdqrs, C & B Coys at F' D'Esquin, A Coy on Rue Bacquerot, D Coy at Picantin

Jan 11th.

Rested in billets - 4th re-inforcement arrived - 3 NCO's and 77 Riflemen

D and A Coys found two fatigues of 50 men each for work in the trenches.

Jan 12th.

Rested in billets

4pm Draft inspected by GOC Bde.

Jan 13th.

Morning rested in billets.

4pm - Relieved Royal Berks Regt in the trenches. A dry night but very dark - No Moon.

Jan 14th.

Work on breastwork continued from 3am till dawn - enemy's snipers were very active on right front - Lieut. Pilcher took out a patrol to the enemy's advanced trench N. of Fauquissart Rd near the ruined house and found it full of water and unoccupied.

Jan 15th.

Up to 2am we replied at two hour intervals to enemy's snipers with heavy bursts of rifle and machine gun fire. From 3am till dawn work continued on breastwork. A/Corpl Harvey and two men reached enemy trench 100' to right (SW)of Trivelet and found about 250' of trench unoccupied with three feet of water in it. They returned unobserved by enemy. This unoccupied length of trench accounts for the fact that nearly all enemy's sniping is done opposite our two right companies. A very dark night but no rain. Work was also done on communication trench leading to B and D Coys so that all Coys are now accessible in daylight except C whose communication trench is very wet and shallow. Enemy fired a few shells during the morning near Fauquissart Cross Roads but without doing any damage.

Jan 16th.

Digging on breastworks was to have started at 3am but owing to darkness no work could be begun until 4.30am.

4.30am to dawn - All Companies thickening and heightening breastwork especially traverses. As there has been less rain during the last few days Coys were ableto work on the flooring, putting down wire, straw and gratings which made a great improvement.

3pm - Enemy shelled plank road across muddy field behind Hqtrs but without doing any damage although there were a lot of men about at the time.

5pm - Relieved by Royal Berk's Regt in trenches and marched into Divn'l Reserve billets in Laventie.

Jan 17th.

Rested in billets.

Jan 18th.

Rested in billets

2pm - Line Transport inspected by G.O.C. Bde. Captain R. Buxton posted to A Coy.

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Jan 19th.

Relieved 2nd Royal Berk's Regt in trenches at 5pm

6.30pm - B, C & D Coy's commenced work on breastworks until midnight. A Coy commenced work at 2.00am. The enemy opened bursts of machine gun fireand did a little shelling at intervals up till 2am on 20th.

Jan 20th.

1.30am - A Coy carried out a practice alarm before commencing work, taking the support platoon from Rue Tilloy to fire trench. It was 15 minutes before the trench was fully manned.

Patrol reported enemy bailing water out of a gap in their trench S.W. (our right) of Trivelet.

5.45am - other companies practice alarm, B taking 13 and a half minutes, C six minutes & D seven minutes to make fire trench. Reserve Platoon took 25 minutes to reach Hqtrs, from this time runners went out and onmly 58 men were present out of four platoons, the remainder (at least 60) being away on carrying & ration fatigues.

5.30pm - All Coys commenced work.

10pm - Patrols reported that enemy was in the open behind their parapet bailing and pumping water in the same place as before. By a pre-arranged flare the 1st battery R.F.A. opened fire on them at 10.30 which was the signal for heavy rifle and machine gun fire from our trenches. There was very little reply from the Germans.

Jan 21st.

2am - Patrols reported enemy had stopped working but saw an enemy patrol of about 12 men who were fired on by our left machine gun

5.45am - Anither practice alarm. Germans seen bailing to our left of tall chimney during morning. Heavy rain during day and night which interfered with work.

Frost in the early morning.

Jan 22nd.

A quiet day - bright and dry - some shelling about mid-day by the enemy at RE and civilian working parties working on redoubt near First Aid Post.

4.45pm - Relived by Royal Berk's Regt. in the trenches and marched into billets at F' Desquin, C Coy at Picantin, A Coy at Rue Masselot.

Jan 23rd.

Frost continued - rested in billets

Jan 24th.

Rested in billets

Jan 25th.

Relived Royal Berk's Regt in trenches at 5pm. After standing ready since 9am on account of attack on 1st Division. Enemy to our front very active with sniping and machine gun fire which they kept up till dawn. Worked from 8pm till Midnight on new parapet and redoubts.

Reinforcement of 40 NCO's and Riflemen joined Btn.

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Jan 26th.

Enemy continued sniping all day

4pm - Wire from G.H.Q. that fresh Corps are reported on the British front and that attacks on various parts of the line are to be expected & watched for.

Work carried on as usual from 8pm to midnight, and Enemy's sniping answered back - Enemy fired some shrapnel into A Coy, wounding a man.

Jan 27th.

Hard frost continued - a quiet day in spite of the Kaisers birthday.

3pm - A few shells fall periously close to Bt. Hdqtrs - Enemy remained very quiet all night ecept for occasional outbursts of sniping. Work continued on new parapet till midnight - a very bright moon till 4am.

Jan 28th.

4pm - Relieved by Royal Berks Regt and marched into Div'l Reserve at Laventie.

Jan 29th.

Rested in billets.

Jan 30th.

Rested in billets - Battalion marched into Divisional baths at Estaires.

Jan 31st.

Laventie shelled again.

5pm - Relieved Royal Berks Regt in the trenches. A 4" Howitzer shell burst in A Coy's billets killing one man and wounding trhee more. Later the Enemy fired shrapnel into A Coys parapet killing one and wounding one - sniping in the early part of the night was heavy - Casualties 3 killed & 8 wounded. Work continued on breastwork - a full moon helped work but interfered with patrolling work.

Corporal's Wagstaff and Harvey awarded D.C.M. for good patrol work on various occasions and for brringing in Capt. Whitakers body on December 1st.

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Feb 1st.

Fine weather continued - Enemy sniped heavily from dusk till midnight, to which we replied - work continued on new breastwork and parados from 2am till dawn.

Lieut. Pilcher took out a patrol on the left of our lines and reported the enemy's advanced trenches still full of water and unoccupied.

The Union Jack which he planted the previous night on the enemy's barricade was still flying.

Feb 2nd.

Rain fell - a very quiet night, work continued - casualties this day only two wounded - A draft of 30 N.C.O.'s and Riflemen joined the Batt.

Feb 3.

Fine weather again

10am - Enemy shelled the centre of our lines with shrapnel.

1pm - Enemy shelled our parapet and in rear of lines - one man wounded - German observation and sniping post was spotted at the top of a house opposite the centre of our lines - our artillery silenced it.

5pm - Relieved by Royal Berks Regt in the trenches and marched into Bde Reserve - Hqtrs, C, D Coys and I machine gun to Desquin and S.E. end of Laventie, B Coy and 1 machine gun at Rue Du Bois, A Coy to Picantin - the latter new billets.

During the relief the Germans shelled between Hqrs and the trenches. This is the first time they have done this during a relief - there were no casualties from this shelling, but during the three days in the trenches B Coy lost 4 men killed and 18 wounded.

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Feb 4th.

Rested in billets. A Coys new billets at Picantin were found to in a most unwholesome state. Major C.E. Harrison joined the Btt. and took over command from Capt. Verney - Lt.-Col. Stephens having proceeded on leave to England on the 1st.

Feb 5th.

Rested in billets - C.O. inspected new draft of 30 men. Enemy shelled the billets from 1pm to 3pm, quality of shells was poor and no damage was done.

Feb 6th.

Rested in billets

5.45pm - Relieved Royal Berks Regt in the trenches, work continued on parapet - Patrols reported enemy working on their wire and we fired on them - otherwise a quiet night.

Feb 7th.

Enemy shelled house on Tilloy Road between 1pm and 1.30pm, no damage done. Lt.-Col Stephens returned off leave and resumed command of the Batt.

A quiet night - German working parties located and fired upon - work continued on our parapet and wire.

Feb 8th.

Enemy shelled farm near first aid post and set it on fire, and shelled at intervals all day without doing any damage. Patrols from all Companies reported the Germans working on their wire. We opened from our trenches with machine gun and rifle fire - otherwise the Germans seem to show no great activity and hardly ever seem to come out beyond their wire. Their fire trench seems to be fully manned throughout the length in front, as if they had overcome the water difficulties.

Feb 9th.

A quiet day

5.45pm relieved by the Royal Berks Regt in the trenches and marched into Div'l Reserve in Laventie. Casualties this time in the trenches were only three killed and 5 wounded as against a total of 22 last time.

Feb 10th.

Rested in billets

Feb 11th.

Rested in billets. Batt. marched by Coys into Estaires to the Div'l baths.

Feb 12th.

Rested in billets

5.45pm relieved the Royal Berks Regt in the trenches

No Moon, and work brought almost to a standstill - Patrols went out as usual and reported Germans working on their parapet and wire - Fire was opened on them as usual - work continued on our own wire.

Feb 13th.

Heavy rain all morning. Germans shelled Fauquissart at intervals - otherwise a very quiet day and night - still too dark to do much work.

Feb 14th.

A quiet day and night.

Feb 15th.

A quite morning except for intermittent shelling along the Rue Tilleloy - no damage done.

5.30pm - Relieved by the Royal Berks Regt and marched into Bde Reserve - A Coy to Picantin, B to Rue Du Bois, C and D to Desquin.

Feb 16th.

Rested in billets - Darft of 62 N.C.O.'s and Riflemen joined the Batt. about 20 of them men who had left the Batt sick.

Feb 17th.

Rested in billets - Weather awful, water rising all round again.

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Feb 18th.

Morning rested in billets

5.45pm - Relieved Royal Berks Regt in the trenches. A quiet night - work continued as usual on parapet - Enemy opened fire with a mchine gun from Trivelet a thing they have not done for a long time.

Feb 19th.

GOC Bde went round the lines - a quiet day. At dusk saw about one company and some waggons moving behind enemy lines - evidently relief taking place as that evening the Germans sniped very actively.

Feb 20th.

Sniping very active all day - at night work continued on parapets.

Feb 21st.

Thick fog all morning. Cleaned up at 10am.

6pm - relived by Royal Berks Regt in the trenches and marched into Div'l Reserve at Laventie.

Feb 22nd.

Rested in billets. Battalion marched into Estaires for the funeral of Gen. J.E. Gough mortally wounded in our lines on the 20th. A Coy, his old company found the burial party.

Feb 23rd.

Rested in billets

Feb 24th.

6pm - Relieved the Royal Berks Regt in the trenches. A very quiet night and a good deal of snow fell.

Feb 25th.

About two inches of snow - Germans shelled about Fauquissart Church as usual - Siege guns flattened out the big chimney and factory of Les Mottes. Very bright moon hampered patrolling, but a lot of work was done.

Feb 26th.

Thick fog in the morning - cleared later.

2pm saw a party of Germans working on a stack about Haut Pommereau - 1st battery opened on them and scattered them - a very quiet night.

Feb 27th.

A very quiet day

4pm - A gun from 1st battery was brought up in the dark to the aid post and opened direct fire on enemy's wire opposite our lines - 50 shots were fired in 11 minutes and considerable damage was done to the parapet and wire - the Germans made no reply.

6pm - Relieved by Royal Berks Regt and marched into Bde Reserve.

Feb 28th.

Rested in billets.

[raver]

Hi Andy

Thank you very much for taking the time to type out and send me the pages of the war diary.

It seems that, during the period Jan-Mar 1915, there wasn't any major activity until the battle at Neuve Chapelle. As my relative joined up at the end of 1914, and was sent to France on 27 Dec of that year, this would have been his first experiences of the hell of trench warfare. Unfortunately he was killed, on the 14th Mar 1915, just one day after surviving the battle.

Best Wishes

Dave

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Hi Dave,

No problem, might have been quicker for me to type the diary out rather than you trying to download it by the sounds of it.

No major activity, as you say, but a very unpleasant time fighting the elements, glad that the information was of use to you.

Andy