February 1916

Cold - Frost. McCarthy & 6th inf. on the job this A.M. Didn’t get up tonight as I went into Bailleul with Pepler to destroy an unexploded bomb dropped by an aero this aft. - Pear shaped, 20”x7”, 20 lbs. - Must have been full of H.E. Had my hair cut by a blacksmith. Sunday night raid very successful. 5 prisoners. - To be repeated on our front I fancy shortly with the aid of the “wire torpedo.” Morrow dug into some ancient Hun casualties tonight. “All the perfumes of Arabia” etc.

Cold. - Joe went lame but he may be swinging the lead. - Rode down to 5th & 4th Batteries. - Didn’t see Mac this time either. - Took down R.V. Mac’s papers. - New dining room open. Gas alert off. - Something to come off next week I think, as Turner doesn’t want to go on leave. - Looks as if preparations are under way for a big move. - Warning re - correspondence came in yesterday. - Instructions for disposal of surplus stores came in today. - Letters from home & Charley.

Gas alert on again.

Relief night.

Foggy to clear. New moon. O.C. returned from leave. Went up to look things over - Joe absolutely off. - Lots of planes out. - Watched the Archies tear off about 100 rds at one. - Was up on the carpet this aft & was pleased to hear that the Gen had looked over the job & raised a holler to the C.R.E. - Needless to say it spoiled my appetite. - The Major went up & looked things over & I was mighty nervous of the outcome. Was much relieved when he came back and only advised a few alterations. - Activity in front line caused the party to use the trench. - One man wounded in stomach. - One cap tipped. M.G. in new position to our L. rear opened up suddenly & nearly made me jump out of my boots.

Rotten, cold & rainy. Went up in the morning, and again at night. Got a nice chill, sticking around.

Alexander - new wiring officer for 1st Bgde.

Bill Walbank & O. Halloran called around, just in with 7th Bgde amm. Column.

Couple of letters from Hazel & 50 De Reskes from K. Mackey. This is a tough war.

Cold - Didn’t go up this morning. - Must frind a place to call in at night & get warmed up. Tried R/E Fm. tonight. A. Co’y - 3rd Bn.

Great aero activity this morning. Called in at the heavy battery to bring Cue home.

Raw & wet.

Feeling pretty punk. Went up this morning. Slept, had a bath, and attended service. Whitcombe shot last night working on the cut-off. Buried this aft. Intended to write some letters but feeling pretty rotten so turned in early, after writing one.

Clear. - Turner’s party to come off tonight. - He is badly disappointed at being ordered on no account togo over the parapet. - Eric Reddy was in this aft. - Didn’t stay up very long tonight.- Came in + wrote home - Spend the aft. writing Hazel - Have been getting hauled over the coals for not writing.

Intermittent heavy showers - Heavy rain tonight. - The show didn’t come off last night. Breakfast in bed again this A.M. - Couple of letters from Hazel. -

McKenzie I/c 3rd Bn. working party again tonight. - Phoned brigade & a party cancelled on account of weather. - I wasn’t sorry to come in but the work as to be done & his party last night didn’t do much. - Saw Joe Edwards & co’y taking 10 long lorry loads out of Wulverghem - That won’t leave much of the fair city. - Expect to retire early.

Clear & cold. -

Rose in time to get up there & back before lunch. - Las night’s affair had to be abandoned. Enemy on the alert. - Capt. Richardson of the 2nd killed bringing in men who had not heard recall. - First mail direct arrived today.

Clear - Up early. Visited the job. - Gus & I intended visiting the big town of Bailleuil this aft only the tour is lengthened to six days. - No relief night. I’m fed up with this no dinner game. - Almost ill tonight if it hadn’t been for Cripp’s kind mercies. Some nifty little shack he has at St. Q. - Should have found it before. - Will do it again, believe much.

Rained all day. Got up in time to be late for lunch and did nothing all aft. - Expected parties to be cancelled but nothin stirring. - Infantry grousing as usual. - Spent most of the time at St. Quentin & came down early. - Foolishness to send parties but a night like this they won’t do anything.

Dull & rainy. Got up, had breakfast & went back to bed. - Read M.F.E. all morning - Must get some solid literature out from Blitey - Relief night but weather too rotten to go in to Bailleuil - Heavy bombardment up around Ypres all day. - Took a walk up as fat as 2nd A.C.T. Co’y & paid them a visit. - Bunch of mail from home - Spent the eve’g writing. - The gramaphone has been out of action, to the O.C.’s sorrow. Stubbins examined the cartridge case.

Sunday, really sunday & a hell of a fine sunday morning too. Nice drizzle to ride up in. - Mud deeper than ever. - Cleared up after lunch - Had a snooze for a couple of hours. - Great aerial activity. 17 machines up including the new double engine battle plane. -

Good night for working. - Party finished task 9 P.M. - Too early - Waited for Cur. at Dr. Stn. - Called at Heavy Batty. J.C.M. played havoc with the chips and sold the R.E. park for a top of rum. To think a year ago to-day I wasted a perfectly good sat. aft. in the Drafting Room

Mixed weather. - It’s actual war. - Lay in bed like a couple of Piccadilly nuts till 10 - Had a bath and went back to bed to partake of tea & toast brought in by Scott about 11 - He is improving. - Took a walk down to Y.M. tent for a “Dead Horse Corner Gazette” - No mail in or out. - Another fine bright night, but I didn’t give them enough work to make the best use of it. - Another shell on the Dr. Stn. has mussed up our night stable. Wulverghem church is perceptibly growing less. - Artillery active on the left tonight. - Emma put in a word now & again.

Clear, cold with high W. wind - Snow & rain last night. - The shake up has come after all - Robertson and Harrison go to England. - Pepler will get the Captaincy here and Macdonald with the 1st. - Morrow & I will get out Secs I suppose. Letter from Hazel today. - Harry Beatly was over. - Up twice today. - Came on a heavy rain this eve. - Very stormy. - Cancelled party - 8 P.M. - Artillery very active. - Opened just as I was coming down.

Anniversary of my Military career. Still cold & windy. Communique says that Sunday’s strafing resulted in a loss of 500 yds. Trench. - Last night’s row probably counter. - Letter from mother today. - Spent all day writing. - Mac sick in Hosp. - Wandsworth. Went up front after dinner. - One of party killed by stray. - It’s pretty tough for a man to come over here to fight & then be killed with a sandbag in his hands. Called in to see Bill Scully & celebrate the departure of the old 21st from Montreal.

Clear - Cold - Moon all night. - Reported that recent show was on Guard’s Div. Front.- Failed in counter & have asked for Can. Troops to support new counter. Wrote a long letter home to ease my conscience. - Lay in bed all A.M. absorbing breakfast & news from the “Daily” & “Canada” - Saw that Lt. M. Johnson was in London. Must have got his Comm. O.K. - Another great night for work.

Rain. - Rode up with Jack Calvin in the morning. Robertson & Harrison left for Eng. - Gen. Macdonald & Gen Leckie hit yesterday. - Fritz shelled all over our area & also dropped a few around here.

Relief night. - Spent the aft. & evening writing. - Moved out of the hut to room with Turner. - Scott wants to return to duty. - Box of candy from Grace R. - Lasted about so long. Gen. Armstrong called around.

Full moon - 2.29 A.M.

Fair. - Not so much fun to sleep in, in new quarters. - Too dark to read in bed. Rose in time for lunch - Turner went on leave - Maj. Irving in. - Fritz dropped a couple more on Dranoutre. - 3 casualties. Started party at work. - Went up to R.E. - 4 co’y 2nd Bn in. Good bunch. Came back to job 9.30. - Party gone - Took [?] done. - Artillery due to light into Messines tonight.

Clear - German planes had it over us like a circus tent today. - Were on the job from long before the Archies were up till after midnight. - Heard one or two when I was coming home. - J.M.C. & I had very narrow(?) escapes going up this A.M. Unexploded shell from A.A. gun hit tree under which Gus was standing. - Save us from our Antis. - Couple of bombs on Bailleuil. - Stayed home to dinner. Found McCarthy in trouble with lazy party from the 4th. - Kept them on the job till after 11. - Been a great day. - Seems like spring. - Noticed buds appearing on bushes.

Clear. - Cold - Too cold to get up - Had a bath + went back to bed till Cur. came in at 12.30. Woke me.- A bit of strafing going on up north. - More air raids in Eng. Went up to the job 5.30 P.M. - Party about as energetic as last night. Stuck around till about 8 - Went over to St. Quentin’s for an hour or so & came back - Sent party home 11.05 - Came down & went to bed. - Finished “Wee Macgrecgor Enlists”.

Cold - Snow. - Clear. Intended to go up this A.M. but too much of an effort to get out of bed. Rex Calbin shot thro’ lung. Will recover. - Gave the gang a short task and came home early. - Roads pretty slippery. Trying to rush work on Ring 35. - Gen. Hughes is away but returning on the 25th. Don’t want to get strafed again. Heavy fighting at Verdun.

Gas wind

Cold - Clear - Frost holding. - Too slippery to ride up. So stayed in this A.M. Rode up tonight but had to lead the horse from Bgde. Hqrs. Fritz dropped a couple on crossroads at Zweinbech. No material up. - Went up to R.E. Fm. to meet Alexander. Deep in a game of bridge so did not get home till late.- Two bus loads from the co’y attended the 3rd Field Amb. minstral show in Bailleuil - Sent McCarthy in.

Still cold & frosty. Walked up with Pepler. - Ice 1¼” thick on shell holes - Calibrated myself coming down - 115-34” paces per min. - Dropped in at Heavy Battery. 8” How. moved out from Anti A. fm. last night . - Alex, Cur, Pepler & self went into Baileuil for bath this aft. - Met Mk.III Pope & John Gwynn. - Found a new place to tea. Went to the show - Dined at the Faucon. - Met the famous “Foghorn” Macdonald - Pretty cold coming back . - More bombs on Bailleuil. Stubbins “was present”

Colder. - Kept house this morning, everyone else up the line. - Leave stopped. - O.C. says that Huns will make their final kick & war be over in June. - The Doc came round on an inoculation tour. - Took mine but have a fine sore arm tonight. - Didn’t go up the line so McCarthy has the party to himself. - Work stopped on cable buying job. - Working parties concentrating on defences. More snow tonight.

Wind shifted South. Milder - Snow going. - Wagons got up O.K. tonight. - Feeling rotten - Stayed in bed all A.M. - Cur says “we may recover but we’ll never be the same again” - O.C. laughs at us & is working a “carry on” bluff, but it’s got him just the same. - “He who laughs last - “ Big losses reported on Fr. front. - Rumoured that Turkey has capitulated. Doubt it. - Gen. made tour of the works. - Haven’t been strafed yet. Had to send McCarthy up alone again. - General atmosphere of something impending.

Weather broken. - German advance at Verdun reported outflanked. Another man killed on my job last night. - Getting more men from Macdonad’s party tonight. - Hughes seems to be wanting a lot of work on defences. - Fritz sniped me with whizz-bangs on the road going up. -

Turned out to be about 6” stuff - Heavy calibre for field guns but very short & having two driving bands. One man wounded in leg.

Bombs dropped from planes on Neuve Eglise Rd.

Fair to rain. -

Turner got back from leave about 2 A.M. & related his experiences while going to bed. - I guess my chances of leave are in a class with the snow ball. - Happened to meet Cpl. Ellis on the way up this A.M. - He had already dug up the nose of my last nights’ startlers, but was kind enough to give it to me. - It’s a peach. - Mucked around & got back around 1.30 - Up again at 5.30 - Fritz put another of the same over & I hit the ditch. - 55 men tonight. - Turned rotten & wet - Came back to find myself almost homeless. - Mac’s new fireplace proved too much for my bed. Gilbert took over from Scott.

Fair to rain.- In spite of last nights conflagration and subsequent inconvenience I slept till noon. At least after Morrow & Turner got out. Found the bed extra hard. - Due to Gilbert being a novice I guess. - Got a new bed made which is softer. - Pat used exp. metal on his. - Hence the anti-ostermoor feeling. - Maj. Sculh called this aft. - Report that 15 new Divs. came across last week. - More bombs dropped somewhere. - Small bunch of mail. - Another rotten wet night - Visited St. Quentin - Ft. Pinky & 26th Bty firing on Birthday Farm.