CSM Lou Verdon DCM
Diary


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February 1916

 

Tuesday, February 1st  
  • Still no letters.
  • Preparing to leave billets
  • Artillery going strong
  • Route march –dandy time
  • Went to Bailleul with Sgt Jealous
  • Had some time.
Wednesday, February 2nd
  • Cleaning up billets.
  • Fairly quiet all day
  • Left for trenches at 4:30 PM.
  • Took over fr4om 20th Canandians at 7:30 Pm.
  • Germans not too bad.
  • Quiet night
  • No letters.
Thursday, February 3rd
  • Morning quiet and very cold.
  • Sleet during the night.
  • Germans opened up but quieted down when we opened up.
Friday, February 4th
  • Sun shining-lovely.
  • Feel happy.
  • Not much time to spare, rather busy.
  • Rumours about a rest two miles from Bailleul.
  • Wrote home
  • Received letters.
Saturday, February 5th
  • Noisy all day, fierce artillery duel but odds on our side.
  • Lots of sun, the scenery not too bad.
  • Wrote home.
  • Feeling not too well.
  • Heard rumours of Centre Block Parliament Buildings, Ottawa being blown up.
  • 1 man, 1 woman, and 4 kids killed.

Sunday,
February 6th

  • Proper Sunday morning, quiet, and reserved.
  • Afternoon, lots of noise, artillery doing fine work.
  • Night quiet.
  • Received parcel from Mother.
  • Cpl. And 1 man on leave.
Monday, February 7th
  • Aeroplanes about early.
  • Can see damage done by our artillery over night.
  • Aeroplanes about like birds.
  • Wonderful how they escape the pom poms.
  • Left first line and went to Ridgewood.
  • Took over Brigade Guard.
  • A few more casualties.
  • Rain plenty.
Tuesday, February 8th
  • Day beautiful
  • Sun strong and clean
  • Artillery fairly quiet all day, opened at night.
  • Rumours of U.S.A. joining Allies.
  • Dong sounding for gas-false alarm!
  • Received three letters.
  • Aeroplanes about-wonderful how they miss shots.
Wednesday, February 9th
  • Morning fine but awfully cold.
  • Fatigue parties about.
  • Shells dropping close-parties scatter.
  • Rations short.
  • Two lads held back from leave(something in Channel, England).
Thursday, February 10th
  • Awfully noisy.
  • Heard nothing about outside world for some time now.
  • A little rain.
  • A few more casualties.
  • Received letters.
  • Shack very cold.
Friday, February 11th
  • Rain all day.
  • Wrote letters all morning.
  • Fatigue parties out.
  • Everything as usual.
  • Guns speaking occasionally.
  • On big fatigue party, returning back at 10 PM.
Saturday, February,12th
  • Artillery all night, kept up all day.
  • Boys on our left taking two lines of trenches from Germans.
  • Plenty of aeroplanes about.
  • Plenty of rain-does not seem as if it will stop.
  • Received letters and answered them.
Sunday, February 13th
  • No Service today.
  • Had C.O.’s Parade.
  • Sentences read out of  Ptes. McGee and Hunt.
  • Went for a walk with Jack- returning witnessed air fight.
  • Shrapnel fell all around us.
  • Artillery fairly noisy.
  • A little rain.
  • Wrote letters.
  • Six men on leave.
Monday, February 14th
  • Slight rain all day.
  • Very boisterous.
  • Artillery fairly quiet.
  • Took charge of fatigue party of C.O. to first line.
  • Moved to Mobile Reserve at 6 PM.
  • Very muddy and dirty.
  • 3rd Division Battery behind.
  • Nearly shelled to pieces by Germans.
Tuesday, February 15th
  • Fatigue parties out.
  • Awful artillery duel.
  • Held up six hours.
  • Took over Mobile Reserve Stores.
  • Awful holes made by shells.
  • Received letters.
Wednesday, February 16th
  • Dandy day.
  • Rather cold and damp.
  • Trees falling.
  • Artillery going strong.
  • Hoes made by whiz bangs are frightful.
  • Trenches on our left taken by the Germans.
Thursday, February 17th
  • Morning cold and damp.
  • Artillery noisy.
  • Had sing song in dug out.
  • Had a dandy meal.
  • Wrote letters home.
Friday, February 18th
  • Hay rather wet.
  • Artillery fairly noisy.
  • Our lads took the old trenches on our left.
  • Dinner dandy today.
  • 1,000 shells fired by one battery.
Saturday, February 19th
  • Morning not too bad.
  • Artillery still going strong.
  • Big stuff about.
  • Scotch mist, not too wet.
  • Received letters and answered them.
Sunday, February 20th
  • Frosty very hard and slippery.
  • Rumours of Russians breaking up Turkish army.
  • Lost trench (60 yds.) on our left.
  • Left trenches.at 6 PM and arrived at La Clytte at 9 PM.
  • Very cold.
Monday, February 21st
  • Snow plenty of it.
  • Horses cannot stand.
  • Everything delayed.
  • Plenty of aeroplanes about and lots of fighting.
  • Fatigue party of 500 men all night.
Tuesday, February 22nd
  • Awful snow storm.
  • Heavy artillery coming up.
  • Artillery all around us- all kinds.
  • Snow! Snow! Snow!
  • Fearfully cold.
Wednesday, February 23rd
  • Snowed three inches and very cold.
  • Payed.
  • Lads very bad.
  • C.O.’s Parade.
  • Battalion drill and company drill.
  • Walked out with Sgts. Ward and Murphy.
  • Received letters and answered them.
Thursday, February 24th
  • Attended Orderly Room.
  • Had dinner down at La Clytte with Sgts. Jealous and MacDonald.
  • Had a dandy time.
  • Had a sing song at night.
  • Received letters.
Friday, February 25th
  • Bleak and dreary morning.
  • Lads fairly bad.
  • C.O.’s parade.
  • Very cold.
  • Snow blown in faces.
  • Took over trenches from 20th at 6PM.
Saturday, February 26th
  • Extremely cold.
  • Artillery on left very active.
  • We opened up at night.
  • Put wire out. Some job.
  • Received letters and wrote some.
Sunday, February 27th
  • Snow and very cold.
  • Artillery registering.
  • Something doing soon.
  • Fourteen Divisions on the way from England.
  • Aeroplanes fight all afternoon.
  • Holes enormous made by artillery from Kemmel by 9.2.
  • 12 inch guns in rear kept up all night.
  • A few casualties.
  • Received parcel.
Monday, February 28th
  • Morning dandy.
  • Aeroplanes about, two fights early.
  • Lots of damage done to enemy trenches.
  • 12” registering.
  • Awful noise. Shakes the ground.
  • Took over Ridgewood La Brassarie Reserve.
Tuesday, February 29th
  • Artillery range finding and registering.
  • Fatigue parties out.
  • Casualties a few.
  • Our artillery preparing a 48 hour bombardment.
  • Artillery stood to at 6 PM.
  • Opened up until 10PM.
  • Awful noise.
  • Germans retaliating little.
  • Rain.

March 1916

 

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