April 1916

April 1916

1st Saturday
Bath house orderly.
Heavy artillery bombardment at night.

5th Wednesday
Ecoivres.
Police duty.

6th Thursday
Left Ecoivres at 6.30pm o’clock by Car for firing lines at Neuville-Saint-Vaaste, billeted in Dressing Station which is the Cellar of ruined Brewery, in which are supports erected by Germans.

7th Friday/9th Sunday
Went up to Medical Aid post of 6th South Staffs in the morning all the way by communication trenches, the chief being Chassery, the former is deep and well made, a good deal of sniping is done, and not much more rifle fire, chiefly bombing and mining, by craters, which are continually blown up on both sides. All the villages here are blown to the ground. The French did part of same to drive out Germans September 1915. Close fighting took place, French on one side of the streets in Neuville-Saint-Vaaste bombing Germans on the other. I visited reserve lines of trenches.

10th Monday
Neuville-Saint-Vaaste.
Fetched out of bed at 2am o’clock, to go up 6th M. Aid Post for dead officer, had to bring him back by communications trenches, and it was very dark.

11th Tuesday
Clerk’s duty in Advanced Collecting Station. Wet weather.


13thThursday.
Advanced Dressing Station. Neuville-Saint-Vaaste Aux Rietz. Clerking
duty, and collecting from S. Staffs Aid post.

14th Friday
Neuville-Saint-Vaaste.
Clerking night duty.
Heavy artillery bombardments.
Wet weather.

16th Sunday
Neuville-Saint-Vaaste.
A mine blown up at 12pm o’clock by Notts & Derbys, and heavy bombardment took place immediately, both sides sending showers of shells.
Night duty. Several wounded.

17th Monday
Neuville-Saint-Vaaste.
Wet weather prevails.
Night duty.
German plane drops bombs at midnight, shook dressing station.

18th Tuesday
Neuville-Saint-Vaaste.
Night Duty Clerk. Quiet night and wet weather.

19th Wednesday
Neuville-Saint-Vaaste.
Mine blown up at night under S. Staffs, but the casualties were few. Heavy shelling of trenches from both sides. Night duty.

20th Thursday.
Left Neuville-Saint-Vaaste and returned to Head Quarters Ecoivres in party of six. Division comes out of action for short rest.

21st Friday
The Unit leave Ecoivres at 9am o’clock and march 14 miles, arriving at Bailleul-aux-Cornailles at 1 o’clock pm.
Sect billeted in barn.

22 nd Saturday.
B Sect run Hospital. Night Orderly Duty. Sleep at Hospital.

23rd Sunday
Easter Sunday.

24th Monday
Night Nursing Orderly. Hospital full of patients.

25th Tuesday
Bailleul-aux-Cornailles.
Night Duty.
Orderlies go in Bell tents. Lovely weather and beautiful country surroundings.

26th Wednesday
Night Duty.
40 patients in tents.

29th Saturday
Bailleul-aux-Cornailles.
Lovely country village, tents pitched among beautiful surroundings and lovely weather prevails. Night Duty.

30th Sunday
Night Duty.
Church Parade at which only 12 of our Unit were present, the first service I have been able to attend for months. Lovely weather and fine.
Service by Chaplain Howard.

A Silk Embroidered Postcard That Frank Sent To Harry His Elder Brother

 

March 1916

March 1916
1st Wednesday
Hospital

2nd Thursday
Longvillers. Discharged from Hospital, and moved by Motor Ambulance to Mount Pleasant Farm near Doullens 10 miles, billeted in barn.
Snow fall.

5th Sunday
Mount Pleasant Farm.
Packing up waggons.

6th Monday
March away from Mount Pleasant Farm, Unit.
Snow falls during march, arrived at Canettemont, 12 miles, billeted in barn.

7th Thursday
March away from Canettemont and arrive at Magnicourt-sur-Canche 4 miles
billeted in barn from which French troops move.

11th Saturday
Unit leaves Magnicourt-sur-Canche and march to Acq 12 miles billeted in barn.
Visit Mont-Saint-Eloi which the Germans have shelled to ruins.
[Mont-Saint-Eloi is a village near Acq,with the remains of an Abbey]

12th Sunday
Acq.
Moved out of barn and billeted in large hut along with A and part of C Section.
C Section work the line.

13th Monday
March from Acq to Ecoivres, billeted at Chateau; A run Hospital.
Watch Australians big guns taken into action.
Staffs Infantry go into action.

15th Wednesday
Ecoivres.
Police duty. Inoculated.


16th Thursday
Ecoivres.
Excused duty owing to inoculation.

17th Friday - 25th Saturday
Ecoivres.
Police duty.
Notts & Derby’s charge casualties 80. 60 Bearers warned to prepare to go up trenches at 3am o’clock, but they had no further order.

29th Wednesday
Ecoivres.
Police duty.
Witness German plane brought down by one of ours in a duel.

30th Thursday - 31st Friday
Bath house orderly.

Zeppelin

It would have been a Zeppelin like this that Frank mentions in his diary of 1st Feb 1916

February 1916

1st Tuesday
Maison Roland.
A party of Zeps make a raid over England, dropping bombs over
Midlands and doing considerable damage especially Walsall,
Many lives lost.

2nd Wednesday.
Maison Roland.
Route march round country 7 miles.

7th Monday
Went by car to Saint Ouen to disinfect blankets, and returned at night

13th Sunday
Maison Roland.
No church parade.
We had a farewell party, including eight of us, on the occasion of
Eddie Edwards and Arthur Moore finishing.

14th Monday
Maison Roland. Eddie and Arthur leave the Unit for Base, as their time expires in 14 days

16th Wednesday
Our chip shop:

Baillet Albert
Café Anglais Maison Roland
Par St Riquier
Somme
(Written in a French hand)

19th Saturday.
Maison Roland. B Sect march away at night and arrive at Longvillers 1AM Sunday morning, billeted in Chateau, in which part of roof and windows are missing

20th Sunday
Longvillers. Preparing another Chateau for Hospital, worked all day in cleaning and clearing up.

21st Monday.
Sick with influenza.
Excused duty

22nd Tuesday
Longvillers.
Admitted into hospital with Influenza, temperature 102. Milk diet.
Heavy snow storm.