April 1918

Fine. Dark

Cooper spring one on me before I was awake.

No news from South except that we’re holding ‘em.

Skipper away at Savy all day. Hodgins was down this morning. – Asked him a few questions about the reorganization. – Seem to be plenty of jobs going.

Hudson in to lunch. – Sam Southill dropped in to tea – with 12 sqdn now & has had “3 crashes in two days” – A hun came over & shot down 4 balloons in succession.

– Winter came in to dinner on his way back from leave.

+35

Fine. Dark. Showery.

Skipper went away early & not back yet. – Grant & an office staff went down this aft. Daniels of the Coldstreams was in to lunch.

No news from south. – Quite a strafe on tonight.

Showery. Dark.

Nothing much doing. – Fellowes away at Savy all day. –

Klinger was in to brekker on his way back from leave.

– The M.M.G. Bde. get quite a write up in the papers. – They deserve it.

– Anti-conscription riots in Quebec.

Harry O’Leary in to tea on his way up from the base.

– Heavy strafe tonight

Showery. Dark.

Very quiet.

Nothing to do but argue. Westcote & Lloyd in to lunch. – Salmond in to tea. – Bulmer left.

Cloudy. Dark.

Very little to report. – No new development of any marked importance.

The calling up of people of 50 is causing quite a fuss with Ireland still unconscripted.

Gale, Garrow & Hudson in this aft.

Played another game of “sevens up” this ev’g.

Wet.

Nothing to report.

– No game to-night. – Heavy discussion on “After the War” & commerce with Germany.

Thunder showers. No moon. Clear

Quiet.

A few huns over to-night. Will start enlarging the dugout before the moonlight nights come round again.

– A couple of 1st Bn chaps in to-night. – The P.B.I – They do get the rotten end of it every time.

– First fruits of our farm on the table to-day. – Radishes from the hot-bed.

Dull. Dark – Grd. mist.

Nothing to report.

– A good bit of strafing going on again this eve’g.

Misty. VIMY RIDGE (5.30 AM./1917)

What looked like a nice quiet day was spoiled shortly after lunch when he started to get after the rail-head again. – He dropped a few in ACQ & then got a few around the station which made it rather uncomfortable for a while. – Hodge & the S.M. worked hard looking after casualties.

– We move to the dug-out once more.

Misty.

Considerable breeze up.

Couldn’t seem ot get a decent sleep last night, when I did get to bed. –

Busy all morning squashing rumours about the bosch breaking thru’ on the Portuguese, tho’ it seems pretty certain he did something up there. – Skipper & I were over to V Sqdn this eve. & found them packed up. – It seems he has Messines back & some talk or Armentieres. – He dropped a few in the vicinity but not so much as yesterday. – A big chunk in the carp. shop. – Work going on O.K.

Ferguson, 1 F.C.C.E. here for a day or two. –

“Silent Sue” again me for the underworld.

Misty to fine. New moon

Breeze lower locally. – None dropped in the vicinity to-day. Fairly busy. – News from the north not too bad. – The “Geese” seem to be responsible for the worst break, so he got Richebourg, St. Vaast & Laventie. – Rumours say we got it all back but we aren’t paying much heed to rumours of either sort just now.

Must be some more pubs being looted. – Two Jocks blotto on the job this A.M.

– Neelands came up to help Ferguson to-night.

Lots of strafing going on.

Fine. Clear

Quiet, except that some of the 13th who were out playing in the fields dropped the off rifle-grenade unpleasantly close.

Reynard & I went over to see their concert party. – It wasnt bad. – Met a bunch of 3rd Bde. people, also Lefebvre of the 10th.

Had to go down & see Worthington of the 15th about a cache of explosive they found.

Dull.

Quiet.

Nothing much in the papers. – He seems to be pushing ahead a bit, up as far as Hollebeke. – Orders in to prepare for demolition.

51st Div in it again.

Cold, windy & overcast.

Made out scheme for demolition of stock – at the same time made preparations for seeding. Had a bit of a surprise this aft. when Art. Rowlands blew in with Harry, Tommy Watson & Billy Gibbs. – Like a letter from home. – Thought we had Fritz stalled up north till we got the “Mail” which showed him in Merville. – He’s making a big stab for Hazebrouck. – We must be killing lots of ‘em.

Dull. Cloudy

Sent a big box of stuff to SAVY – Ready to travel light.

– Fritz keeps pushing in south of Neuve Eglise, Bailleul & Meteren but he hasn’t got the high ground yet. – or at least hadn’t by to-days paper

Dull. Cloudy.

Went to AUBIGNY this morning on the lorry, to get my hair cut. but was out of luck. – Barber “blessé” – Plenty of rumours round. –

Gus has one that Fritz came over at Loos & got chewed up – Murray’s is that we advanced a few kilos down south & took two divs. – Skipper says that Fritz now has Paschendaele, Messines, N. Eglise & a few more places.

Lots of strafing going on to-night. – The “MAIL” says he’s massing between ARRAS & ALBERT.

Dull. Cloudy

Thank goodness it is cloudy for the moon must be pretty nearly full.

– Nothing much but rumours today. – Mail says that fighting continues S.W. of Bailleul. – So things must be much the same. – Also speaks of Fr. troops in Flanders – Probably Foch’s reserve army is to be heard from soon.

– Gus moved to SAVY this aft.

Dull & cold. Bright

Quiet. –

The Genl., Bogart & Hodgins paid the yard a visit.

– Mail says the Boshe now has Bailleuil & Wytchaete. – He is said to be massing again S. of Arras.

Snow flurries. Bright

The odd hin over early this morning & as it is pretty clear to-night, expect we shall hear from him again. – Ferguson (11th Co’y) in to lunch on his way to Boulogne. – Watt (12th Co’y) in this aft. – Fergie says we are back to the ramparts at Ypres. – The bosch now has Wulverghem so I guess old “Ring 35” is being used. – Funny that the ownership of Wulgm and Messines should be changed during the last two years.

14th had a nasty knock. – McCombe, Powell, Plow & McKenzie laid out by one shell while in rest. Plow was killed. – Another good fellow gone.

Fine. Clear.

Moved to the dug out at 12.30 A.M. & spent the remainder of the night there.

Went in to Aubigny with Murray & Cockram. – Visited dentist at 42 C.C.S. & found out that I have not got “Trench Mouth” – Met Cowle of the 14th who was in to arrange for funeral of Alan Powell (died of wounds in C.C.S.) – Lunch with him & attended funeral. – The old timers are going, one by one.

Fine. Clear.

A saucy hun has just been laying eggs & using his M.G. rather promiscuos round here. – Broke up the game & sent us to earth. –

Not much news. – We seem to be holding ‘em.

Shops crippled to-day by an epidemic of spring fever. – Sign painters shop the worst hit & also the busiest.

Lost 5 to Gus as the Hun has not penetrated to Hazebrouck.

– The hun has Rheims on fire.

Fine. Showery.

St. Julien 1915

Pretty quiet all day. – Quite a strafe up towards Le Basée tonight.

The “hun” that put the breeze up us last night was an FE2B with a green pilot, so they say up at V.

Fine. Clear

Quiet all day. – A bit noisy to-night. – We raided the hun lines at seven points on the Corps front yesterday. – Only a few prisoners & a couple of M.G.s

La Scott was in to lunch.

Dull. Showery.

Pretty quiet all day. – One deuce of a row on to-night down Arras way. – Loudest racket I’ve heard in some time.

Fergie was in to tea on his way back from Boulogne.

Richthofen, leader of the Hun “circus” squadron reported killed in to-day’s (23rd) “Mail” (shot down 21-4-18)

Bosch attacked again on AMIENS front

Warm & close. Full moon & not many clouds

Quiet day.

Went over to ACQ to examine the “duds” about there. – Found them all buried too deep to bother about & no one seemed at all worried.

Papers report naval raids on Ostend & Zeebrugge, hot stuff. – Landing parties etc.

Dull to Fine. Cloudy

Quiet. – Mail from London reports Ross as roaming around with only a shrap wound in the arm, lucky dog.

Dull, cloudy. Cloudy, dark

Quiet day. –

Some home mail in.

Papers report gravy attacks on Kemmel. – Old Dranoutre is figuring considerably.

Wheeler moved to Frevin-Capelle.

Dull. Dark

Quiet day. –

A hun came over the railhead at less than 3000 I should say.

Papers report fall of Kemmel. – I never thought they’d let that go. – French were holding it, & fought well.

Went upt to V Sqdn to dinner with Stephenson. – Good movie show after.

Found Mac in the mess when I came back. – On his way up from Hosp. – Staying the night.

Cloudy. Showers.

Heavy strafe last night. – Quiet day. – Drove into Aubigny & back with Mac. – Went over to 3rd A.T. to tea.

Impression is that Corps will be on the road again soon. – More war

Fluen was in to dinner & gave us the probable dope. – We’ll let Fritz keep coming for a couple of months yet & kill ‘em off. – After that we’ll come back at them.

Moore came in to take Wheeler’s place.