Yearly Archives: 2016

13 July 1916; Thursday

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Up at 7 o’clock after a bad restless night. Hunted in shirt and pants and found about 6 big lice. Paraded in the morning for cleaning waggons etcetera and then physical drill. Lay down all afternoon – no parade. Had some peaches for tea. Received some papers from Betty and also a letter from home. Went out at night with Lee and called at a village. Bought some chocolate. Afterwards met Leaky and Duggins and went with them to Ribemont1. Had eggs, coffee and cakes and bread. Walked round village and bought card for Gertie. Saw a few thousand cavalry go by our village and understand they are going to charge in the morning.

  1. Ribemont: presumably Ribemont-sur-Ancre, 7km SW of Albert, not Ribemont, SE of St Quentin. ↩

12 July 1916; Wednesday

1976

This is an extract from Arthur Linfoot’s own transcription of his diary, written in 1976.

Up at 7 o’clock. C. of E. parade at 11. Some good hymns: thanks for survival. Read a few verses from bible and article by Claudius Clear in British Weekly sent from home. In village shop the old woman gave me a 2 franc piece I had dropped there some time ago. She found it after we left her shop and remembered me. Went to open air concert outside Town Major’s house in village. Our C.O. and another officer took part in sketch. Washed socks and pants and wrote letters.

12 July 1916; Wednesday

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Up at 7 o’clock. Church parade at 11 o’clock. Very nice service – C of E – and good hymns O God Our Help, Jesu Lover of my Soul etcetera. Read Bible a bit. Read British Weekly and enjoyed article by Claudius Clear1. Went to concert in the open by the Town Major’s house. Our C.O. and a captain took part in good dialogue. I dropped a 2 franc piece and couldn’t find it at a shop. Called again with Walsh and the woman recognised me and told me where she had found it – on the window sill. Washed shirt, pants and socks and wrote a few letters.

  1. Claudius Clear: alter-ego of William Robertson Nicoll (1851 – 1923), a Scottish Free Church minister, journalist, editor, and man of letters who founded the British Weekly, a Nonconformist newspaper. ↩

11 July 1916; Tuesday

1976

This is an extract from Arthur Linfoot’s own transcription of his diary, written in 1976.

Up again at 7 o’clock. Physical drill at eleven. Cleaned clothes and buttons. In the afternoon cleaned waggons and rubbed grease on the wheels. Got some grease on my tunic and belt. Read account of North Sea battle in a “News Chronicle” received from home this morning (Jutland). Lovely summer morning. Sat outside billet cleaning grease off tunic and belt. Had short walk with Lee before turning in.

11 July 1916; Tuesday

July 1916, ,

Up at 7 o’clock. Physical drill at 11 o’clock. Orders to clean buttons. Turned out at 2.15 to clean waggons. Dirtied tunic and had to clean it at night, and also belt. Beautiful evening. Sat outside billet and cleaned belt. Read account of North Sea battle1 in Daily News received from home this morning. Also read some of British Weekly2. Wrote letter home in reply to one received. Had slight trouble with toothache. Had short walk with Lee. Cleaned grease off tunic and pants.

  1. “North Sea battle”: Jutland was 6 weeks ago, but reports were still coming through. The Germans’ next attempt to capitalise on what they claimed as a victory was a projected raid to shell Sunderland, on 19 August, but this was intercepted and defeated by the RN following Intelligence reports. ↩

  2. The British Weekly, a Nonconformist newspaper founded by William Robertson Nicoll (1851 – 1923), a Scottish Free Church minister, journalist, editor, and man of letters. ↩

10 July 1916; Monday

1976

This is an extract from Arthur Linfoot’s own transcription of his diary, written in 1976.

Up at 7. Spent morning scraping mud off clothes and puttees with jack knife. Paraded 3 o’clock. C.O. read message from Divisional Commander thanking us for good work and saying appreciated by troops. Walked to village Y.M.C.A. Newspaper from home. Everything so peaceful this side of Albert. Rather cold. Lost service and sunshade in trenches.

10 July 1916; Monday

July 1916, ,

Up at 7 o’clock. Spent morning cleaning up. Paraded at 3 o’clock in the afternoon with full pack and had good inspection. The C.O. read letter from General Head Quarters thanking us for our services in the most impossible conditions and also stating that the men appreciated our work. Walked to the next village Y.M. and looked round. Received newspapers from home and read them. Beautiful night. Everything so peaceful away from battlefield. Rather cold.

I lost service cap and sunshade at the trench.

Had sergeant and 6 men in our ambulance down with nerves and shell shock and 2 men slightly wounded. Noticed larks singing above the trenches while the battle was in full swing.

9 July 1916; Sunday

1976

This is an extract from Arthur Linfoot’s own transcription of his diary, written in 1976.

When in the Line hurt knee on barbed wire. Now swollen and painful. We moved back to Albert for a rest. Germans shelling the town so taken back to Laviéville. All worn out so taken in ambulances – four kilometres. Good billets in barn. Washed and shaved after few days without either. Parcel from home. Meal of bully beef, biscuits and tea and real butter from parcel. Slept well.

(Diary written up when out resting. Some incidents remembered years later, omitted.)1

  1. This footnote by ALL probably refers not just to this day’s entry but to most prior entries too. ↩

9 July 1916; Sunday

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Lay down on stretcher to sleep as Germans were putting Jack Johnsons1 into the wood a few hundred yards away and we were in easy range. They were trying for the batteries behind us. Hurt knee on barbed wire on the night before and it was very painful. Marched down to Albert. Germans commenced to shell the town again. Were all done up, and were taken back to Laviéville by our motors. Got decent billet in a barn. Scraped clothing and cleaned up generally. Had a bathe and shave. First wash for 3 days. Plenty of tea. Bully again. Bread ration served out and I used some fresh butter received from home. Turned in early and slept well. Notes on front. Most horrible sight – men dying on top of dead. Coolness of some soldiers. Two soldiers trembling with fear who were to go over the top last Sunday morning. Our aeroplanes complete mastery of the air. German artillery not to be compared with ours.

  1. Jack Johnsons: German 150 mm heavy artillery shells, which burst with characteristic black smoke. After the boxer Jack Johnson (1878-1946), the first black American world heavyweight champion (1908-1915). ↩