1916 Not to be reproduced without the permission of
the Canadian War Museum Jan 1st 1916 the Artillery on both sides were quite busy. I had to go up to the front line today receive instructions to take over command of Bombing Officer for No 4 Coy in place of Lieut Black. Jan 2nd. Artillery quite active. Raining all day.
It is rumored that the 4th Brigade is to go on pass between the 5th
& the 15th of this month which we are all living in hopes of being true. I got up at 11 o’clock last night as I heard
someone calling for help. When I reached the
place I found that two other lads had also heard the yelling which proved to be one of our
own lads shot through the back while crossing a field. Jan 3rd. We were call out at 4.30 in the morning to stand
too as the enemy were thought to be maneuvering for an attack. I was sent out in advance of the main body, along
with 4 Bombers to barricade the Chicory trench. With
instructions to hold it as long as possible. However
the attack did not come off. We left the
trenches for our billets for six day’s rest. We
were relieved from the trenches by the 20th Battn. We had one man killed and six men inured today by
a German shell at La Brasserie Dressing Station. Jan 4th was fairly
fine Jan 5th rained all
day Jan 6th still
raining around our billets. It is fearfully
muddy. On the 7th we went on a 14
mile march to see a view of the German lines as they are in front of the 5th
Brigade and it was raining nearly all of the time we were out. Jan 8th fine day Jan 9th another
fine day. We left our billets at Le
Cleté sic the 10th to go back into the trenches. On the following morning at a about 3 am the
German Artillery started shelling our trenches in good shape. They sent over hundreds of shells. We had three men wounded, 2 with shrapnel and one
with rifle ball. At about 7 o’clock they
slackened up their firing but in the afternoon our artillery bombarded the German lines
something terrific. It was fairly deafening. The Battalion on our left flank, the West Yorks,
lost one man killed & 12 injured. We had one man seriously injured. The nose cap off a shell hit him in the stomack sic
Jan 11th a fine
day. Our artillery have been giving the Huns
the deuce all day mostly around Ypres. It
started to rain in the evening but cleared up at 7 pm. Jan 12th A lovely day.
I was told at 6 pm that I was going home to England on Monday 17th
and at 10 pm I got a bullet in my back. I was
taken out of the trenches injured to the La Brassarie sic where there was an
Ambulance waiting for me. I was taken into
the 5th Ambulance Field Hospital at Le Clete sic and had the wound
dressed again then into the Ambulance again and taken on to Bailellu sic to the 6th
Field Hospital and stayed there over night. In
the morning I was put on the Red X train and brought to the Liverpool MM Hospital at
Etaples about 18 miles from Calais. Was
feeling pretty sick on 13th. On the 14th had
Xray examination to locate bullet at 9 am and had operation at 11 am on the 14th. My back is very sore and cannot move in bed. 15th feeling a bit
easier. 16th not feeling so
well. Back very stiff and sore 17th felling a bit
easier today 18th a big bunch of
the wounded left for England today. I am not
to go with this lot as the Dr thinks my back is to sore and the wound to open too open to
move. Gradually improving from 18th
to 22nd. The Dr told me today
that I was going to England probably tomorrow. 23rd. Today Sunday, a lovely day but frosty. No convoy came in during the so we are not leaving
the L M M H today. I am feeling very good but
somewhat stiff. Did not sleep any during the
night. Was coughing all the time. Left the L M M H at 7 am on Monday 24th
on Red X train for Calias sic. Arrived
Calias sic at 12.30 and was transferred to Hospital Ship and landed at Dover at 4
in the afternoon, taken off ship and put on ambulance and arrived at Devon M Hospt sic at
5.30. Feeling very tired and sore. Had a good shaking up at coming from Dover here a
distance of 22 miles. While coming through
Dover there were a couple of German Areoplanes sic over the town and they dropped
½ a doz bombs. Did not sleep any on Monday
night. Nor all day Tuesday 25th. This is a fine hospital. The nurses are all Volunteer Sisters. Had a good nights sleep. This is a lovely day Jan 26th slept most
of the day. Had a Canadian lady in to see me
in the afternoon. Am feeling very stiff and
sore in the evening and have had a nasty pain under my left ribs for the last two days. Feeling fine. Jan 27th able to
sit up in bed for a short time. Am feeling
fine today. Jan 28th did not
sleep much last night. Dr was in to look at my back
today the 29th. Jan 30 lovely day. Had several ladies up to see me & gave me
chocolates, oranges & cigarettes. Transcriber’s note: There is a large gap in the diary at this point
while he is recuperating. The diary then
begins again in book #2 Book
#2
Pg 41 Went back to the trenches on
July 1st 1916. Stayed for a few
days at La Havre and saw the troops dueling etc then went up to the Ypres Salient. Volunteered to take a bunch of the boys over on a
raid but officers would not let me go as they thought I was not in full shape just coming
from England and hospital. Things were fairly
quiet for a few days then Heinie cut loose at us, 67 killed and 174 wounded in ¾ of an
hour bombarding. By gosh it was a son of a
gun. July 12, things are fairly
quiet going over on a raid tonight, hope I get along alright. 13th, got back from
raid alright had fairly good luck, had E. Hanrahan wounded, but came back with a mortar
and 7 Hienies. July 16, went out on patrol
last night, ran into a bunch of Hienies, had a little fun with them but could only find 3
of them. They were Napoo. Got no one hurt in the scrap. July 17. Hienie cut loose on us again today but no one
hurt as far as I could learn, but he sure raised hell with our trenches. July 21. Things have been quiet for past 5 days. Went on a raid last night but had to come back. Hienie was wise to us. July 22. Our lad put up a stiff bombardment on Hienie on
a 16 mile front. Wonder what is coming off. July 23. Nothing happened after the strafe. Guess they must be getting lots of shells now for
them giving drops they are. July 23 gas gongs were going
at 5 am today. The dirty devils let loose gas
on us again. Got our masks on and waited for
Mr Hienie to come and he sure did come, about 2300 of them but not a damn one of them got
into our trenches over a thousand of them were left in our entanglements. They will begin to think that there is no use
gassing the Can’s (Canadians) for they can’t get in the trenches anyway. July 24. Hienie gave us hell today with 9-2 trying to get
even for what happened yesterday. We lost 3
killed and 15 wounded in my Company. Battalion
lost 17 killed, 54 wounded. We left the
trenches today going back for a few days rest. August 2nd. Went up into trenches today. Don’t expect to stay long this trip. Roumours sic are that we are going down to
the Somme front, this is good new to hear as we are to put on a little show for
Hienie’s benefit. Had a very quiet time
in trenches this trip. Stayed for ten days. Coming out on Aug 13th. Aug 14. We were all issued with Lee Enfield rifles
today. We have a rifle now which we
don’t’ expect to jamb when we get in a tight corner. On Thursday the 16th
we start for the Somme, have to march all the way, 200 miles. That sounds pleasant however we have 3 weeks to
make the trip going to have unreadable on the way which will take up a certain amount of time. Aug 17th. Well we are away.
Good bye to the Ypres Salient. 18
months has been a long time to be shut up in those horrendous trenches. Aug 25th. We have had a fairly easy time on this march so
far everybody feeling fit, but for a lot of us this is going to be our last trip over
these roads in France. We reached the
outskirts of Albert on Sept 8th going to camp in the brickfields for a couple
of days before going up the line for action. Sept 11th. Moved up to death valley today. This has been an awful battlefield. Nothing but a network of battered in trenches,
craters and shell holes. Sept 12th. Had a funny experience today. My old friend and chum Lorne Hamilton told me that
he was going to be killed on Sept 15th at 6:10 am. The more I think of this the more convinced I am
that it is really going to happen. We
volunteered to go up into the trenches at 10 o’clock tonight to relieve 2 platoons of
the 20th Battalion. (the war diary records this
as being the 19th Battalion) I cannot help thinking of Hamilton all the time,
it seems to be getting on my nerves. Everything
was very quiet along the front all night up to noon on the 13th. Then Hienie cut loose with everything he had. Sept 14th. Holy smoke this has been a terrible 30 hours to
put in, if there is anything worse for humans to go through may god help us and the
bombardment is still going on. I wonder when
he is going to let up. They fully mean to
make an attack after this. Our only
salvation is to attack first. A lot of the
boys are feeling sick from this awful shell & liquid fire. I am sick but must bear up on account of position
I hold. Well this is Sept 16th. I am in hospital at Rouen. Oh I would give anything to be back in Canada and
to think that poor old Hamilton is dead, killed within 10 minutes of the time he predicted
2 ½ days previous and without an awful bombardment.
We came through, I say we, I can hardly write this when I think that there
are only 5 of us left alive out of 90 fine fellows and 2 of them
one being our officer. The Germans attacked us at 3
am in the morning of the 15th. Came
over with 600 against 90. What chance did we
have, and what chances I took to save Hamilton, but I had made that promise to him and I
fulfilled that promise and I have his watch and other articles to send home to his old
folks at Ottawa. Good bye Hamilton. May we meet again for you were a good pal, and
above all you died like a soldier & a man. My
legs and neck a paining me awful today, had 15 pieces of iron taken out of my legs today. Quite a relief but it seems as if they intend to
leave the rest of them in. Oh well I ought to
weigh heavier when I get (there are 5 pages at this
point that list nurse’s names and addresses, along with a couple of notes unrelated
to the diary) home if I live through it all. This hospital has been a nice home. I am leaving for my Battalion tomorrow. I feel glad to get back and see some of my old
chums again. Arrived at Albert on Dec 2nd. The boys are in the line but expect to come out
tomorrow. I am not going up. Well the boys came out of the
trenches today, Dec 3rd. I met a
lot of them but the majority are new men. It
appeared that after the attack on Sept 15 there were only 362 men left out of 1260 which
went over the top. If the people at home had
any idea what this war was like they might not be so anxious to enlist. I had to go before the OC in answer to a letter I
wrote him from Rouen Hospital concerning the movement of Major S on Sept 15th. Stayed with my first story all the way through. Felt it was best to do so, but feel convinced that
Colonel Jones thinks I am shielding Major S….. Transcriber’s Note: This is in reference to Major Martin Lewis
Shepherd who was killed on Sept 15th by a sniper while attempting to hold back
his men from advancing too close to the Canadian Artillery Barrage. We moved from the Somme on Dec
5th, going to a new front now at Bully-Grenay in front of Lens, another hell
hole. They seem to pick out some fine places
for this Battalion but there is no such thing as saying no. Arrived at Bully Grenay Dec 12th. Some town. The
Huns must have been shelling this place every day since Aug 4th 1914 from the
looks of it, yet there are lots of French civilians living in it yet. Went up into the trenches Dec
14th. Not bad trenches, one thing
about them they are fairly dry and good deep dugouts.
Some of them 80 feet below the ground. Things
seem to be fairly quiet on this front. There
was some shelling. Their rum jars and
pineapples are the worst we have to contend with. Went out for a rest on Dec 23rd. Just out in time for Xmas but we almost forget
what it is like. Well we had a turkey and
plum pudding supper on Xmas night which made us feel as though we were still alive. Dec 26 the Huns shelled the town all day with gas shells. Killing about 38 Civvies. All women & girls. We have a job burying them. |