12 September 1915; Sunday

On Fire Piquet1 & Canteen Cpl. C.B.2 all day. Tried to clean belt, wrote to Willie Whittaker and wrote up diary. Song† by men in the barrack room at night.


  1. Piquet or picquet: Pronounced picket; refers to a soldier or small unit of soldiers maintaining a watch. This may mean a watch for the enemy, or other types of watch; e.g., in this case, “fire picket”.  

  2. “C.B.”: “confined to barracks”, usually signifying a low-­level military punishment (incorporating frequent inspections in full kit, extra fatigue duties etc), popularly known as ‘jankers’; but ALL seems to be using it here in a purely literal sense – he couldn’t leave barracks due to his picquet and canteen duties.