• Morning fine. On way to Poperinghe at 12 noon.
• Had dandy time with Sgt. Reed.
• Bought a few souvenirs.
• Returned home with Lt. Davidson and Lt. Marks.
• Heard from home.
• Stood to all night.

• Nice morning with sun in the afternoon.
• Fatigue Party out.
• Battalion paraded at 8:30 PM.
• Went to “C” Camp and had a real dandy concert.
• Band of the 28^th Cans. Accompanying.
• Mr. Black (Capt.) sang some good songs.
• Sgt. Custance danced and sang very nicely.
• Some good recitations by Pt. Cambell of 21^st  Cans.

• Day very warm.
• Boys lolled about and rested.
• Quite a lot sick.
• Lads happy to have a rest.
• Fatigue Party out at night.
• Fairly quiet all day.
• Received mail from Canada and wrote letters.

• Morning dandy.
• Wrote home.
• Paraded at 2 PM.
• Had practice putting smoke helmets on.
• Some lads very smart.
• Gas Guard on duty.
• Received letters and answered them.
• Went to Reninghelst.
• Played football.
• Slept on an old tent inside the shack.

• Oh! An exquisite day.  Feel so good.
• Had games and real dandy sport.
• 27^th Band played for us.
• Had a good sing song.
• Wrote home.
• Fairly quiet tonight.
• No Fatigue Parties.

• A little rain and a little colder.
• Sports all day.
• Singsong and dance.  Some dance.
• Sun shining and very warm.
• Wrote letters.
• Rather quiet at front.
• Germans must be asleep.

• Morning rather dull.
• R.C. paraded at 8:30 AM for Reininghelst.
• Remainder wearing belts at 11 AM for Service.
• Had football game.
• Ride on Niger.
• Turned in at 8:30 PM.

• Morning very cold.
• Paraded at 12 noon.
• Heard sentences read out against 3 men.
• Marched home.
• More rain in afternoon.
• Expecting Jack Fee back in L. unit.
• Saw Jack at 2 Pm looks fine and dandy.  Came over and had a good long chat.

• Very boisterous and wet.
• Saw Jack and had a long chat.
• Hope he comes in No. 4 Coy.
• Expecting to move any moment.  All packed.
• Paraded at 7:30 PM.  Left “B” Camp for Voormezelle arriving at 11:30 PM by train.
• Sleeping in Convent Hall, all blown to pieces.
• Jack in command of strong point.

• Morning dull and wet.  Very restless night.
• Artillery very active.
• Houses blown to pieces and streets strewn with debris.
• Fatigue Parties out cleaning Voormezele.
• Sleeping in defences in Convent School.
• Walls all loop-holed.
• Sentries on the go and on the road leading into German lines.
• Wrote letters home.

• Morning fine.
• Stood to from 3 AM to 4AM.
• Shells dropping very close.
• Jack came and saw me from the Fort.
• Mr. Rutherford in at September Post.
• Went and saw jack.
• Nearly blown up by Whiz Bang.
• Wrote home.
• More casualties.

• Received letters from Canada, England, and France.
• Lovely day- nice and fine.
• Saw jack at Fort.
• Voormezele is an awful devastated place.
• Quartered in a ruined Convent-was a dandy place.
• Saw Jack at fort.
• Received letters and answered them.

• Rain and lots of mud.
• Preparing to move.
• Issued with rubber boots.
• Lots of work.
• Lots of slosh about.
• A very muddy, dirty country when wet.
• Relieved 20^th Battalion in “T” Trenches.
• Absolutely awful-mud in abundance.

• Does not seem like Sunday.
• Awful scene of devastation.
• Trees seem to sadly ask why they have been broken and bruised about.
• Enemy very quiet.
• Could not move out or about in daytime.
• Nights very short now.

• Standing to at 3 AM and standing down at 4 AM.
• Birds singing beautifully.
• Gun roaring out a good morning.
• Waiting to be relieved.
• Relieved by 26^th Battalion at 11PM.
• Awful return through mud.
• Returned to “B” Camp, arriving at 2AM on the 16^th.

• Morning fine.  Inspection by Colonel.
• Rest of day to ourselves.
• Played football and quoits.
• Tried to write home but could not somehow so sent cards.
• Had singsong in Sergt’s Hut.
• Concert at Reninghelst. Was real dandy.
• Mr. Black sang fine.
• Returned home at 8:30 PM.

• Morning fine and bright.
• Played quoits and horse shoes.  Kept busy all day.
• Caught German spy dressed as Bdg. General, Australian.
• Identified at HQ as Major General.
• Am in orders as being Sergeant Major of the Coy.
• Received a real dandy parcel from home and a handful of letters.

• Lovely day.
• Coy office & Orderly Room.
• Big Fatigue out.
• A few games going.
• Received pay.
• Bathing commenced.
• Lads returned at 4 AM.
• Seems nothing but fatigues.

• A glorious day.
• A few shells around.
• Football on the go.  No. 4 beat No. 3 by 6 to 1.
• Rather quiet up the line.
• Big fatigues on all the day.
• Seems very hard.
• Had concert at night.
• Tried to write but somehow could not.

• Fine and bright.
• Hear band from a distance. Sounds so nice.
• More fatigue parties out.
• Returned  about three in the morning.
• Saw an old tommy of the Mett. (a London Police Constable)  “C” Div; Vine street.
• Had a dandy time.
• Went for walk with Sergts. Jealous, MacDonald, and Trappitt.

• A real summer day.
• Divine Service and a real sermon by Div. Chaplin.
• Lulled about and read, and wrote home.
• Jack came and had a chat.
• Very unusual now.
• Fire in Reninghelst.
• Saw Mills burnt down.
• Had another real bath.

• Rain but not cold.
• Sun shining later.
• Worked rather had in scribbling.
• Got up to day with everything.
• Inspection of lines by Staff Officers.
• Comments not known …
• Walked about fields.

• Lads returned early in the morning from Fatigue.
• Cleaned up camp.
• Left camp at 7:30 PM.
• Billeted in houses tumbled down in Dickebusch.
• More fatigues.
• Lads out working.
• Rats almost as big as donkeys running over us….some fun!

• Aeroplanes about.
• Have done lots of scribbling and amr aches.
• Artillery very quiet.
• Fatigue Parties out.
• Had a little music on an old kid’s piano.
• Received some very interesting literature.
• Quite enjoyed a read.
• Caught a real dandy big big rat in our room.

• Rain but later the glorious sun.
• Have not been shelled yet. Am very surprised.
• Fatigue Parties out.
• Received letter and wrote quite a lot.
• Went for a stroll with Sergt. Jealous and Sgt MacDonald.

Friday
May 26^th

• Grand morning. Up early and had a stroll.
• Fatigue Parties out at 6:15 PM at 7:15PM and 8PM.
• Lots of aeroplanes about all day.
• Guns rather quiet.
• Received three letters and answered these and others.
• Sgt. MacDonald left for staff job at Poperinghe.
• Put on crown (SM).

• Cleaned up places where boys are billeted.
• Al inhabitants out of Dickebusch.
• A few shells about.
• Relieved by 19^th.
• Took over “A” Camp.  Very good camp.
• Aeroplanes about.
• Not far from front line.

• Divine service at 11AM in open field.
• 31^st Band in attendance.
• Very nice service.
• Walked about camp.
• Some real dandy air fights.
• Went to bed early.
• No fatigues.

• Drill all morning and afternoon devoted to sport.
• Played Officers at baseball.  Lost 22 to 14.
• Had a real dandy concert at night.
• Everything so much better.
• Received letters and wrote home.

• Drill all morning.
• Boys like the way things are going.
• Played the Officers at baseball.  Won by 12 to 8.
• A very good game.
• Went to see friends at “A” Camp. In 2^nd Pioneers Canadians. 
• Had a nice time.

• Lovely day.
• Peasants going to church.
• Played Cpls. and L/Cpls. at football.
• Won by 3 to 1.
• Good game!
• The Coy Played No. 2 at football and lost 2 to 1.
• Walked with Sgt Jealous.
• Turned in early.

June 1916

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