Fair. - Too lazy to go up the line. - Wrote letters & visited 2nd Army Troops Co’y - Smeed Bull shot thro’ thigh - Taking R. Calvin’s place - R.E. (1) Major. - 59th Div. visiting us for instructions.
Relief night.
Clear to rain
Went up this morning for a while - McCarthy doesn’t see much good on morning party. Rode into Bailleuil with Cur. Purchased supplies for mess. Tea’d at 21 Rue de College. - Met Underhill. - Had a bath - Came back. Changed horses and went right up the line.- A bunch of 43rd out with 3rd Bn party. - They work well but have my number. Caught some swiping material this A.M.
Clear to rain at night & then it did rain. Macdonald came up and we located M.G. emp. On Sec II and started excavation on it. Had to keep them at it in spite of rain. - Good breaking in for 43rd. - Got the officers in dugout and kept them out of rain.
Wrote Hazel
Snow - Colder.
Morning parties off - Lay in bed & read “Scarlet Pimpernel”. No mail. - Douvre River has overflowed. - Water 3’ deep over Wulgr - St Q. Rd.
Cave in on Sec I. - Drain blocked. - Lovely mess. - Had to get in & clean it out myself. - Gault - 43rd I/c party fell off Ry. tracks - nearly drowned but refused to leave his party. - He’ll get over it.
Clear. Rose in time for breakfast. - Too slippery to ride up this A.M. - So read the “Times” personals & “Pickwick”. Read all aft & went up early via Neuve Eglise. - Fritz shelled 26th Battery with crumps as we were going up. - Rimber’s party on other work. - Had given a party other task so did nothing on M.G. Emp. - Surprising how quickly they work on a task job. - Dropped in at Heavy’s mess on way down with Alexander.
Clear. - M.G. turned on Ring 35 this A.M. - Probably spotted by observation balloon.
O.C. going down to St. Jan Cappelle to act as C.R.E., vice Col. Lindsay acting C.E. to corps. - Dinner for the O.C. tonight. - I miss all these shines. Worked on M.G. emp. myself. Nearly lost the tower of Wulverghem church this morning.
Sunday Snow. - Was going up on kemmel with Geo. McCallum but too snowy & roads too slippery. Also too cold to get out of bed.
Relief Night. - Maj. Scully in to dinner. - Archinald brought in his cinematograph - Some show. - Sniper has Cooker Farm locality marked according to communique. - The whole district getting unhealthy.
Pepler awarded “Croix de Guerre”
Clear & cold.
Everybody went out this A.M. so had to get up & keep house, answer phone etc. - Wrote home.
Clear. - Wild rumor around this morning that Verdun had fallen. - Nothing to it. - Went in to Baulleul with Macdonald. - Visited baths, E.F.C. shops & had tea with Hodgins. Went up the line directly on return. 2nd Bn party. - Loafed on the job so kept them till after midnight. - Came in, had supper & got to bed 2 A.M. - A bunch of overs tonight. - Still no mail.
Bitterly disappointed. Thought I had a trip to England in sight when an over hit one of the I-beams and splashed me on the leg. - Tore coat and breeks but outside of that it’s alright. - Came home & found Cur. writing letters, so wrote some too, while Lee White & Teddy Gerrard entertained us. - Couldn’t find the boot jack.
The original page for this entry carries a small drawing, unrelated to the text around it, visible in the scan.
Cool. - Feeling a bit heavy - Evidently it’s not wise to get away with someone elses rations as well as your own. A bit rainy. - Stubbins hit the mark when he said it was a dull dismal morning. - Rumour hath it that we are due to shift.
Indeed a lovely day. Our joy would be complete if there was only some mail. Pep. has given me Sgt. Cook & 5 sprs. to work on Ring 35 so went up early to show him over the job. It was grand going up at sunset, makes you forget all about war, & then at dusk some of Lawlor’s underlings planted 3 M.G.s not 50 yds. from the job and tore off 3000 rounds. - However they took me over to their dugout & fed me so I forgave them all. - Met Heron, Bieler, Copeland, Walter Gordon, Jack Dely, Cooper.
Wind east
Clear - Warm - a bit foggy in the morning. - Too foggy to go up Kemmel with McMallum, but rose early just the same. - Sure is a peach of a day. - Everybody has spring fever. - Rode up back of Locre with Alex & Fletcher. - Had our photos taken. - Warm work riding. Met Bill Walbank, Pont Armour & Fernie Gendron. - McCallum came down to dinner. - Harvey’s commission came thro. - Met Hal Scott in Dranoutre on way up to trenches for instruction - 8th C.M.R.
Another beautiful day like yesterday, but the sudden change has been too much for me. - Feeling decidedly off color. last night & this A.M. - Went down to the baths this aft. with Alex & got some of the color off. - Cur & I caught a wild horse in the field tonight.
Wind east
Rain this A.M. Fair & warm aft & evening. Had to get up as they were putting the stove in the room. Lots of talk about hte Corps going up to the Ypres salient. - Harvey went on leave. - Sent shell noses to Charley. Garrow came up - Rode up to Locre with him. - Rode up to R.E. tonight - Got extra 25 men of 3rd Pioneers. - Went over to see Hal Mooney with the lone gun near Wulgn - Good night for work - “Stokes” gun at work this aft..
NO MAIL
Fair & warm
Mail at last. - Letter from the Dean amongst it. - Fritz put over 1000 shells around 5.P.M - Probably searching the back of the ridge for the “battery” that worried them yesterday. - About 30 casualties all told. - Cpl. Kay killed tonight. - My party did not turn up so had a bit of a strafe with the Brigade Major. Got party at nine.
Wind East.
Fine weather continues. Pepler went to Bailleul this aft. to be kissed and get his “Croix de Guerre” - Quite a ceremony.
Received reports & Grads’ bulletin from college. List of those on active service as follows: - Staff - 59, Grads - 723, Undergrads 431, Past Students 151. - Total 1364. - Townsend’s horse had colic. Called in at the Heavy’s & had the Vet. puncture it. - That is the horse McLean wanted to palm off on me.
Pepler is awarded the Croix de Guerre on March 7, and ten days later goes to Bailleul "to be kissed and get his 'Croix de Guerre'" in what Robertson calls "quite a ceremony." Pepler is the same officer Robertson later suspects put him forward for his own Military Cross (see July 17, 1916), which he'd receive that summer.
Respirator parade. Lots of cheerful news about the percentage of casualties up in the Ypres salient. - We will probably get out of here in a week or so - Not much use getting a tennis court built. - Brigade wants work on Ring 35 pushed. Wish they would tell their working parties about it.
Leave on again tomorrow.
Wind East.
No rest for the weary. 7 day tour so no relief till tomorrow night. - Stated in to attend divine service but Warner came along to take it & I don’t like his “Squad, shun!” pray by numbers manner. - Capt. Turnbull & Robinson of the A.S.C. were in. - Also a couple of chaps from the R.F.C. balloon sec. up above & later, Thexton and Gendron. - Mac & Pep went out for dinner. - Went up the line 8 P.M. - Minenwerfer & Stokes gun duel. - Fritz dropped some more in Wulverghem.
Late for Lunch again - Must get up earlier. - Parcel of cakes from home this aft. - Lecture on Gas by Bowles (now C.S.M.) Pep got his Capt.cy. - Walked up to Locre with Alex. - Called on Fletcher, visited a couple of Winkels & brought back some stuff for dinner. Sculley & McKeen in. - Censored some mail, retired early. - Kept awake chasing mice & then Harry’s guns opened up.
Wind S.W.
Cold & raw. - Five officers from Corps who went up to look over new position, wounded. Cheer up. - Morrow says we are going to take the Wytchaet-Messines ridge. Brigade thinks things around here point to an attack before we go out. D-4 is the worst spot on the Br. front. - Went up 6 P.M. - Overs average 10 per min. - Too dark to show much progress. - Drizzly rain. -
Rumor that Australian Corps will join us here.
Cold & Raw. - The incoming C.R.E. visited the works. We will probably say goodbut to old Dranoutre about the beginning of the week.
Ordered music from Francis Day & Hunter.
Cool. - Went in to Bailleuil this aft. - Met Layton & rode out with him. - Mail from Mtl. this aft. but after waiting for it, sometimes when it does come I wish it hadn’t reached me - Thank goodness I got a cheerful letter from London. - McKeen & Layton were up having a closer look at the war tonight so came down with them and dined at the Heavys’.
Snow, so did not go up this morning as intended. - O.C. of R.E Co’y taking over from us was in to lunch. - Cheerful prospects in the salient. - Capt. Brunton blew in this aft. with the C.R.E. - Is on a tour getting material for instructional work. - MacDaonald is instructing him. Cur & I took him up tonight. - After visiting Ring 35, took him for a stroll up around Delta Rd. D-4, swam thro’ the old trench Morrow is recleaiming & came down Durham Rd. - Last night for working parties - Going out Sunday.
Channel str. “Sussex” out from Fkstn with mail & passengers Torpedoed yesterday
Fair. - Harvey and Casement got back last night. Two of the R.E. chaps came in this morning. - Some houseful. Cur & I had a pleasant surprise on parade this aft. when Harvey & Bevan were appointed to sections. - It’s clear that we were not wanted in the 1st Div. from the start. - To forget our troubles we went up to Locre and had a bath & flirtation with nun at the convent. - Had to go up again to Ring 35. - Strays coming over pretty thick seemed to want to get me last night. - Came down early - Wrote letters & gave Mac a list of records to get.
The cross-Channel ferry Sussex, which regularly carried mail and passengers between England and France, was torpedoed the day before this entry without warning, echoing the Lusitania almost a year earlier. The backlash was severe enough that Germany issued the "Sussex Pledge," promising to stop attacking merchant and passenger ships without warning. It was a pledge Germany would abandon within a year, once it resumed unrestricted submarine warfare in early 1917, a decision that helped finally draw the United States into the war.
Rain - Fair
Barnum & Bailey has nothing on the 3rd F.C.C.E. when they move. Pulled out sharp at 11 after packing up for Gilbert. - The general utility men were allotted to 3 & 4, the sec. officers being otherise occupied. - Arr’d rest billets 2.45 - Located in farm at R.21. Cur & I have a jake billet in an estaminet halfway up Mont des Cats. A beautiful view. - Room pretty clean. We tossed for the bed & Cur lost so am just going to settle down comprtably in the feather mattress. - Hope I don’t have cause to regret my luck.
Clear to rain.
Parade 8 A.M. - Physical jerks.
Mac. being away - Casement gets #1. Turner now acting 2nd in command so I get #4 - Turner having to go back to Dranoutre for a day - Harvey is 2nd I/c - He’s alright, but it is hardly pleasant for Cur. & I - Morning spent cleaning & checking up pontoon stores. Route march this aft. - Came on rain. - Raining yet & I have to walk from the mess to the Chalet. - Have spent a very unprofitable evening helping the boys by making a quorum
Cold wind. - 8 A.M. parade being delayed 10 min. to get respirators. Cur & I managed to make it. - Pep exercised us vigarously. - Still handling #4 - - Morning inspected equipment, & watched Ian put the pontoons across the pond. Did the same myself this aft. & considering I never saaw a pontoon in the water before, think I made a pretty good bluff. Took a cycle up to the Chalet at noon & tried to bring Cur down the hill on the stern. Our old front pounded yesterday. 10th battery & dressing Stn. shelled. - Big mine exploded at St Eloi - Crater 72.0 yds across & 70 ft deep. Mound occupied by Northumberlands - 200 prisoners.
The "big mine" Robertson describes, a crater 72 yards across and 70 feet deep, was one of six enormous mines detonated beneath the German front line at St. Eloi, opening a monthlong battle for the craters it left behind. British troops began the fight, but the 2nd Canadian Division inherited it partway through, in one of the most confusing engagements of the Canadian Corps' war, waterlogged, unrecognizable ground where units repeatedly lost track of which craters they actually held. It was a hard early lesson, one the Corps would apply again at Mont Sorrel two months later.
Cool, clear.
Madame had coffee for us before we went out this A.M. We made the billet in time for parade thanks to the bikes. - Marched #4 up Mont des Cats. - After breakfast knots & lashings. - Aft. trestle bridging. #4 vs #3 - Lost on tech. Stubbins spilled the beans today riding down hill on his bike. - Took Nigger out for a little exercise. Went over to Goderwarsvelole. Ambulance train went thro’ - Thought I saw Pick-Cambridge on board. - The monastery looks very picturesque from the other valley. - Musket parade 4.30 P.M. - Saw an Australian just back here.
Clear - Cool. - Harvey and Bevan off to new area. - Morning #3 & #4 - Lashings - Afternoon explosives, demolitions. - Change of work seems to be doing the crowd a lot of good. - Rode over to Gdsvelde with Casement. Pepler back from new billets. - We are going in on new front formed by Sunday’s attack. - Trenches taken from Germans in good condition. - Retired early after a little session of Pontoon.
Warm. Barometer away down. - Good weather to take over new line. Morrow sick. - Orderly officer. Inf. Drill & washing vehicles. - Took a walk thro’ the monastery and grounds. - Old place dates to 1088. Respirator parade this aft. - Did some very successful pontooning after dinner. - Half past nine - in bed. - Last night between sheets till I go on leave. - unless (?) - Cur & I are going to cut for first leave. Australians in Berthen.