March 1918

Fine.

Got in 1.30 A.M.

Got up to brekker & read my bundle of letters. – Among them one from Ross.

Fine.

Resumed duties (9) in the yard, assisted by Gus.

Sgt. Watts is leaving us for the Postal Corps. – S.M. Duff left for the base last week. – White-Fraser has taken his place.

Sneath & Dickenson came over to dinner.

Dull.

Jolly well tired to-night. – Rode Simpson’s nag up to Boswell’s this aft & I won’t be able to walk tomorrow.

Rex Calvin was in this morning. – Teddy Birkett is back & a lot of others will be too now that the V Div. is bust up.

Roumania has signed a peace now.

Fine.

Crabbe was around this A.M. – Nothing exceptional happening. – Wrote a few letters.

Fine.

Everyone went to Aubigny this aft. so held the fort & read John Stuart Mill.

– Redel & Bardec were going to put on an offensive this evening but failed to appear.

Time changes tonight.

Very Mild. Summer time begins

Very quiet till we got 42 cars in.

Signals told me the Bosche offensive was expected to-day. – Evidently it didn’t materialize.

A bit of a show on a mile front around the MENIN Road yesterday.

Continuing mild.

Very ennervating. – Nothing doing.

And still.

Done so little to-day that I’m all tired out to-night. La Scott was around this morning with an A.E.F. sapper; up for instruction.

Heavy firing to-night.

Have been trying to dope out this much talked of Pioneer organization. – To me it don’t look possible, no how.

Warm.

Same as yesterday, mostly (and the day before). – Tho’ I did walk to Acq a couple of times.

Hal Mooney was in this A.M.

Murray went to C.C.S. having been off his feed for the last two or three days.

A bit raw.

Big Bill was around.

Tobin came up to take Murray’s place.

Forgetting that there was a new moon to-night I phoned Simmie & got him over to dinner.

-47

Fine

3rd Div. put on a raid this morning. – 14 Prisoners.

– Macdonald (Am. Eng.) came in to lunch, on his way back. – Tobin went back to Aubigny. – Skipper & Gus walked in.

Kreilsheimer took Tobin’s place.Hank Smith, Junkin + Smee came in to tea.

Redel & Bardec were up to dinner.

Fritz over bombing. – 40ft. Wide crater near XIII Corps Sup. Col. – Evidently a try for V Sqdn. – Glad his miss wasn’t this side.

-26

Fine.

Heated discussion with Bridges on Bosche efficiency.

– Scotty was in.

– Crank-shaft bearing of small steamer snapped again.

– Alport was in this aft.

Fine

A Sunday like this at home would be beautiful but it’s wasted out here.

Rolston came in on his way back from leave. – Says the new organization is an assured fact & advised me to get busy & look for a new job. – I should if I knew how to go about it.

Dined with Hal Mooney at 3rd D.A.C. – Met Philmar.

Quite a strafe to-night.

– More tanks up.

– D. Ewart & Wood were also in this aft.

Fine.

Ken Jenckes was in this aft. Skipper & I dined with the Clover Club

-5

Rain.

Nothing doing.

Rainy to Fine.

Went to the Cinema with Gus this aft.

The odd Gotha over to-night.

Fine to misty at night. – Moon

Awakened early this morning by a strange whistling noise (not unknown) accompanied by a heavy bombardment. – We all decided at brekker that the much-talked-of Hun offensive had started. – The customary shelling of the back country has, in any case. – MAROEIUL has been getting it all day and St. POL has had a few. – Mac & Jenkins came in to lunch with a yarn that the boche had attacked in three places.

Gus & I walked up to 3rd D.A.C. this aft morning.

Murray came back from Hosp. Laurie & Salmon came in after dinner.

+25

Fine. – Moon. Ground mist.

Owing to the continued “bumping” our rest was much disturbed last night.

Many rumours afloat to-day of course. – Bullcourt seems to figure in most of them. –

Maroeiul has been getting considerable attention,

Keyt was in to tea.

Cochran, the new R.O.O. here joined the mess. – Seems like a respectable citizen.

Warm. – Moon Dull

Plenty of wild rumours about. At the most, it doesn’t seem as tho’ the Boche had got in more than 6,000 yds. at any point. – It is said that he has retaken Monchy-le-Preux – Arras rail-head is closed & quite a bunch of civvies have cleared out.

Leave is stopped.

The early part of the evening was a bit unsettled, owing to visits from Gotha’s – One even went to sar as to shoot off his M.G. – V Sqdn say that we have it all over the boche in the air.

“N” Corps will probably shift.

Cassels was in to tea.

Bardac & Redel came up.

Fine. Moon

Monty came in & woke me up. – Battery at ACQ. – Went back with him & had lunch. – Ham is now their Capt.

Not much news. – 3rd Army says everything satisfactory.

Smee came over.

Meeting of Co’y to arrange about starting a Canteen.

Skipper, Murray & I dined at 215th. –

French papers say that shells are falling in Paris fired by a long range gun near Laon. –

The range is 65 miles.

The A.S.E. talks of striking.

-50

Dull. – Windy Moon. Bright

Got the wind up a mile high tonight. – Everything seemed O.K. this aft. – Rode over to Corps & I DIV. with Ham. – Reports from South satisfactory.

Dined with Ham. – Hardy, from C.R.A. – II came in during the ev’g & put the breeze up us. – Said that Hun had crossed Arras-Albert ry. & that things down there were on the hummer. – Boche attack expected at 5.30 A.M. –

P.B. Co’y stands to move at an hours notice. – Move hell, not while Cochran has 150 rifles if we can get amm for them. – Dump on fire down south.

-40

Fine. – Cooler Full Moon Bright

Spirits pretty low all round. – I guess none of us got much sleep last night, & bid fair not to to-night either judging from the number of times we have dived for the dugout. – Expect St. Pol is getting more attention.

The Hun did not attack this A.M. & just as well for him. – However he keeps on going down south. – Last night our line was approx. the old Br. line on the Ancre. – This aft. our line was just east of Bray & Albert.

Vince came in on his way back from leave. – Pat Goldie also in to lunch. Says the C.M.M.G. Bgde got into it badly.

Fine. Moon. A bit cloudy

The breeze, tho’ fairly high this morning has subsided considerably. The “stand to, to move at an hour’s notice order has been as good as a dose of salts to my kit.

2nd Div. shifted during the night to vicinity of Beaumetz.

Scotty was down getting explosives from W.I.

Murray had pleasant rumours of amm. dumps & 12” guns in the neighborhood. – I see where we become the subjects of a lot of undesirable attention.

Ross blew in this aft from Army school. – Had tea & dinner before following the Div. – Also Sewell & Hopkins.

1st Div. Engrs at Sudbury camp must go up tomorrow.

VI Corps Ordinance officer in this evening + very cheery. – 3rd Army seems to have made a stubborn resistance.

Fine to cloudy. Windy. Rain, no moon.

Wind very high. – Our night’s sleep was badly disturbed by a “loud blinkin’ crash” at intervals. However we kidded ourselves that it was one of our 12” Ry. guns til Murray came in just after daylight with the news that the reports were accompanied by geysers of dirt in the vicinity of the compound & that the coolies were advancing on the yard in extended order at the double. –

– ‘Nuff sed. – We arose. – No labour being available, yard work was practically at a standstill & the Co’y employed on bunking the dugouts.

The G.O.C. has issued a most inspiring order. – “Canadians will advance or fall where they stand facing the enemy”.

Just the same, Corps Parks may have to shift & considering our transport, we all are prepared to abandon kits & travel with packs.

Len Rainboth in to tea.

Rain to fair. Windy. No Moon (cloudy.)

The mental breeze dropped considerably as we had all had a good sleep in the dug-out, & Fritz showed no signs of repeating his performance of yesterday till about 6 P.M. – Things had been so quiet all day that Bridges & about 200 coolies moved back to the compound. – He has dropped one now & again all evening so am afraid they won’t stay. – News was good this morning too. – Fritz came over on this front twice yesterday & was shoved back hard. – He’ll get all that’s coming to him if he tries any rough stuff here.

– Hodgins was down this A.M. – We may take over Maroeiul park as N. Corps may move.

– Gus & I took a walk this aft. in search of news or spies. – Visited the cemetery with a view to putting a new cross on Joe Edwards’ grave. – Called at 3rd A.T. Co’y. – They are busy.

A gunner major in to dinner says that Albert has been retaken & the French also have BRAY – Sounds good as yesterday’s papers put the line within 12 miles of Amiens.

– A couple members of the co’y hors de combat thro’ salvaging white wine from Mme. Pierrepont’s.

Rain & wind. Dark

Weather turned rather nasty. No recent news. – Yesterday’s papers show the Boche west of Mont didier on the French front. – Rumoured that the French have delivered a successful conter.

– The skipper was at Savy most of the day. – Preparing to build new plant.

– Reynard, R.T.O. from Maroeiul messing with us while at Acq. – Two more caches of “vin blanc” discovered. – Fire-buckets no less. – In carp. shop.

No shelling to-day.

Fine – mostly. Dark

Very little doing. EASTER.

The O.C. being at Savy I had to hold orderly room on our “salvage gang” – Remanded ‘em.

Not much change in the situation according to the papers. – The boche seems to be getting a bit nearer Amiens from the S.E. –

Foch now has supreme command & the general idea seems to be that he will threaten the German flank with his reserves & it seems certain that they must fal back from their present line.

Ormie was in to tea. – Bulmer of N. Crops Sigs. in to dinner.