CSM Lou Verdon DCM
Diary
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Cliff Grenfell. Not to be reproduced in whole, or in part, without permission.
Contact the webmaster for more information)
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| February 1916
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Thursday, February 3rd |
- Morning quiet and very cold.
- Sleet during the night.
- Germans opened up but quieted down when we opened
up.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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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.
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| 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.
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| 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).
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Saturday, February 19th |
- Morning not too bad.
- Artillery still going strong.
- Big stuff about.
- Scotch mist, not too wet.
- Received letters and answered them.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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March 1916 |