Yearly Archives: 2016

3 July 1916; Monday

1976

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

Led by Sgt. Brown. A heap of 8 or 10 bodies lay like sardines in a sap next to the dugout door. Our squad got last man from the dugout. A man on heap of dead with piece out of his skull still alive, so next squad brought him down to dressing station. Went back from dressing station with Sgt. Brown. Lot of wounded. Stretcher squad had been blown to pieces in trench. We walked over mutilated bodies, with the stretcher. Man with genitals blown off. Infantry still advancing. Heavy fighting and gunfire in front. Heard that Sgt. More and two privates had gone down with shell shock. Dead beginning to smell badly. Got orders to return to dressing station. Saw a man on a stretcher who had gone insane. Saw a German . . . . . . . (cannot read) Joined Bill Jolly (Welsh boxer) and two B section men and went up to aid post. Very heavy shelling just in front and Jolly and one man lost nerve. Persuaded them to go on. Found N.F. sgt. with big wound in thigh who had been in a funk hole since first attack. Brought him down. Trench blown in just in front of us. Sheltered in small sap until shelling eased off. Had drink of tea. Fell in again and went up with Sgt. Brown. About 70 squads ( ? bearers surely ? ) . Lot of wounded. Water in trench. A sap full of water with several dead in it. Water pink. One of our snipers near me had his right thumb blown off by a German sniper. “He saw me first”. he said. Dressed his thumb with my 1st field dressing.

3 July 1916; Monday

July 1916, ,

I fell in with Jolly and other two. Got lost in trench again. Were shelled and had some very near escapes. Jolly and another chap wanted to go back and dump the stretcher. The other men and I won. Found a N.F.1 in a dugout, been there since first charge. Brought him down. Parapet blown in a few yards in front. Very narrow escape. Went back to dugout and waited until bombardment ceased. Brought him down safely. Had to drop out. Fell in again and went up with Sergeant Brown. A lot of wounded and about 70 squads helped. Piles of dead men fearfully mutilated in the trench. Had to step over them with the stretcher. Man on our stretcher had privates shot off. Still advancing slowly. Awful heavy bombardment by our guns. Sergeant More and two privates’ nerve broke down. Received orders to return. Waited until nearly midnight. Lying on the side of the road †commenced first aid for a man with a thumb gone† in his hand. Saw some German prisoners [continued at top of 4 July page – ] Used part of field dressing to bandage man’s hand, injured with explosive dart. Too many things to note.

  1. “N.F.”: Northumberland Fusiliers; the 4 battalions of the Tyneside Irish formed the 102nd Brigade, and the 4 battalions of the Tyneside Scottish formed the 103rd Brigade; these, with the 101st Brigade, formed the 34th Division. The 102nd Brigade was the body specifically designated to capture La Boisselle (see 1 July.) The 102nd and 103rd Brigades sustained higher casualties than any other brigade in the first assault. ↩

2 July 1916; Sunday

1976

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

Left the road for a communication trench. Left our skeleton equipment at an aid post and were given two shell dressings each. Moved up the trench in single file led by the guide. Trench full of men: reinforcements, carriers of ammunition, rations, and water. Others coming down. Progress desperately slow. Guide lost his way three times and we had to move back. Machine gun and sniper fire and just about dawn we crossed No Man’s Land and entered a trench just captured where one of our regimental M.Os. was attending men in a dugout. We were given a man with a compound fracture of left tibia. Germans now shelling our front line heavily and we had to wait until they eased off. Trench a sea of mud here. Most difficult to get loaded stretcher down trench, especially round traverses. Took ages. Were nearly down when regimental stretcher bearer followed us and asked us to go back with him. Found several wounded unable to walk and carried them back to aid post. (No idea of time: now dark again.) Gas alarm and we had to wear masks. Lay down for a rest. Very heavy bombardment and heavy fighting in front. (some lead pencil marks too faint to read.) Sgt. Brown took several squads of bearers and led us out of front line trench on to open ground. Green flares going up all round. Crawled close to ground with machine gun bullets just overhead. Troops in trench (9th Welsh I believe) ready to go over at dawn. Noise, confusion and darkness. Led to a waterlogged empty trench and waited there until dawn in a few inches of water. At dawn collected stretcher cases at a German dugout just captured.

2 July 1916; Sunday

July 1916, ,

Were lost in trench all night. Passed through front line trenches where Cheshires and Welsh1 regiments were waiting to go over the top. After being under fire by a machine gun (and seeing many retreats†) we found our way to the dugout aid post. Germans shelling2, so we had to wait. Finally got a case. Took us until 5 o’clock to get it down through mud and crowded trenches. Had to wait for so long until Germans stopped shelling communication trench. Were nearly down when a regimental stretcher bearer followed us and asked us to go back. 3 went back and took over the stretcher. Lay about most of afternoon very much done up. No regular meals, only snatches of biscuits and cheese. Ordered to fall in at night. Frightened us a bit and Leaky suggested staying back. Orders about 3 o’clock to stand up with gas helmets. Lay down again. Met stretcher squads. Lay on side of trench part of the morning. Very heavy bombardment and fighting in front. Distances confusing.

[This (2 July) and the adjoining pages are very difficult to read. Along the bottom edge of the 2 July page there has been a further line of shorthand, even fainter and more smudged than the rest of these pages. The words “time”, “distance” and “making” may be there, but nothing else can even be guessed.]

  1. ALL’s own records say that the 58th Field Ambulance was in the 57th Brigade. The 9th Cheshires, the 9th Welch and the 9th Royal Welch Fusiliers were also in the 19th Division, but in the 58th Brigade. ↩

  2. “Germans shelling”: whereas the British artillery barrage had as pre-arranged extended its range as soon as the first infantry attack began, so as to leave the first lines of German trenches clear for the British infantry (whose progress, if any, was however much slower than foreseen, thus giving the Germans time to emerge with their machine guns before the British infantry got there), the German artillery fire was concentrated on No Man’s Land as soon as the British infantry entered it. In readiness for this, the German field batteries had delayed firing during the British preliminary barrage, thus escaping observation (and avoiding getting shelled themselves), and reassuring the British Staff that they had been silenced by the British barrage. ↩

1 July 1916; Saturday

1976

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

Lay awake with the cold. Dozed off a few times. About 6 o’clock awoke with the tremendous heavy firing of guns and big shells passing flying overhead. Stood by our billets and watched troops moving up. (the Albert – Bapaume road). Had breakfast of cheese, biscuits and margarine and tea.

Received our orders and then returned to dugouts. Bombardment continued. Lincolns moved off and captured first line (we heard). Desperate fighting going on. 8th Division has lost about half its strength. Watched German aeroplane being shelled by our guns. Heavy batteries behind us pounding away all day. Even horse ambulances full of wounded galloping back down the Bapaume Road. Told to turn in at 10 p.m. and almost immediately received orders to go up the line. Some uncertainty about orders then marched off after about twenty minutes. In Albert about 30 minutes later. (Now quite dark.) Were given steel helmets at our main dressing station in Albert, taken from casualties. All very bewildering noise with two 15” howitzers in Albert firing as quickly as they could. Marched out of Albert up the road. In the fields on either side massed British field guns and French 75s and behind us massed heavies. All blazing away. Scores of green flares dancing in the sky before us with occasional red flares calling for support. Terrific noise and real Bedlam. Utter confusion.

1 July 1916; Saturday

July 1916,

Awoke with the cold. Dozed off a few times. About 6 o’clock awoke with tremendous heavy fire and big shells flying overhead1. Watched troops moving up. Had breakfast. Cheese, biscuits and butter and tea. Received orders and then returned to the dugouts. Bombardment continued. Lincolns2 moved off first and captured first line. Reported that desperate fighting is going on and that the 8 Division has lost half of its strength. Watched German aeroplanes being shelled. Batteries behind us pounding away all day. Lay in dugouts all day. Beautiful day. Didn’t wash or shave all day. Used unique latrines. Watched wounded walking and riding back. Turned in about 10 o’clock and immediately received orders to go up. Fell in in 20 minutes and marched off. Sat near the church in Albert about 30 minutes , received shrapnel helmets and then marched off. Terrific bombardment going on and the sky lit up with flares and guns. Left equipment at aid post and marched up trench.

  1. This was of course the start of the battle of the Somme. For those unfamiliar with what happened in the first few days of the battle, I venture to offer a brief outline on this page. ↩

  2. “Lincolns”: these may have been the 2nd Lincolns (in the 8th Division), or more probably the 10th Lincolns (in the 34th Division.) Both these divisions were in III Corps, which in turn was in the 4th Army (under Gen. Rawlinson.)  ↩

30 June 1916; Friday

1976

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

(This and the next few days written from memory when we left the Line for a rest. It was all very confusing and we lost all sense of time.)

Up at 7 o’clock and we went up the bank for breakfast as usual. Lovely summer morning and we were aware of the contrast between the peaceful country scene behind us and the war a mile or two in front of us to the East. Received orders for stretcher bearers of B and C sections (I was in C) to go up the line tonight. Paraded in the afternoon and given two extra iron rations (3 altogether) and handed in our packs (valises) to the quartermaster’s store. A perfect June evening. Had a meal at 8.30. I read 23rd Psalm and a chapter from St. John’s Gospel. Detailed off in bearer squads and I was with Paddy Graham, Duggins and Leaky. Paraded in the farmyard. Getting dark; intensely exciting; very quiet. As we stood on parade a troop of cavalry passed through the village street, sabres hanging down sides of horses. Very dramatic and encouraging. Our brigade (57th Infantry) passed through the village and we joined them at about 10 p.m. Progress terribly slow due to congestion of masses of troops on narrow road. Frequent and long halts. Welshmen in our Division sang quietly most of the way. No sound from the guns tonight. Only one gun spoke out at long intervals. Paddy and I carried our stretcher most of the way. Reminded me of the book “The Invasion of 1910”. Lay down beside a broken down barn for a short time. Reached assembly trenches about midnight.

30 June 1916; Friday

June 1916, ,

Up at 7 o’clock. Had breakfast up at the field. Noticed how strange it was over to the left peaceful and to the right shells bursting. Received orders that B & C sections are ordered† <to> go up tonight. Paraded in the afternoon with skeleton equipment and received two days’ rations besides emergency rations. Fine night. Handed in pack. Read Bible1 the 23 Psalm and St. John2. Were detailed off in sections, Paddy, Leaky, Duggins and myself. Supper at 8.30. Saw a troop of cavalry go through the village, and then watched some aeroplanes being flushed† out. Decent gramophone playing some Welsh songs. Formed up at 10 o’clock. Marched off in the dark. Carried stretcher with party most of the way. Reminded me of “Invasion of 1910”3. Lay beside a broken down barn for a short time. Arrived reserve trench 12 o’clock.

ALL's pocket bible ALL's pocket bible

  1. We still have the morocco-leather pocket Bible, 12cm x 7cm x 2cm, which ALL carried throughout his service. It contains a pressed flower from a French field, and pencilled on the fly-leaf “A Linfoot 64061 RAMC 58th Fd Amb”, and “24 Herrington St, Sunderland, Durham”, with “47 Eldon St, Chester Rd” crossed out. (And in a deeply-regretted piece of vandalism, the title-page records in Biro the Army number, name and home address of the editor of these Diaries, who had this Bible with him during his National Service in Malaya, 1953-54.)

    See pictures above. ↩

  2. ALL’s Bible readings for the day: The 23rd Psalm – “The Lord is my sheperd…” – now popular at funerals and; St John’s Gospel – “In the beginning was the Word…”. ↩

  3. The Invasion of 1910 is a 1906 novel written by William Le Queux. Its subject is an imagined war starting with the invasion of England by Germany in 1910. Something in Le Queux’ description of a contemporary war seems to have resonated with ALL’s own experience on this particular evening. See also The Invasion of 1910 and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩

The Invasion of 1910

TheInvasionOf1910_200The Invasion of 1910 is a novel by William Le Queux which originally appeared in serial form in the Daily Mail newspaper from 19 March 1906. It is one of the more famous examples of invasion literature.

The book takes the form of a military history and is centred on an invasion by the Germans, who have managed to land a force on the East Coast of England.

Arthur Linfoot does not record when (or indeed if) he had actually read the book, but he must have been at least familiar with its theme as he wrote, on 30 June 1916 (the eve of the first Somme offensive):

Listened gramophone playing some Welsh songs. Formed up at 10 o’clock. Marched off in the dark. Carried stretcher with party most of the way. Reminded me of “Invasion of 1910”.

29 June 1916; Thursday

1976

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

Walked up the bank for breakfast. Lee gave me a slice of bread – a nice change from biscuit. Standing by all day. In the evening walked with Lee and Duggins to the next village (Hénencourt) to the Y.M.C.A. there and counted 22 observation balloons in the air on the way there. Watched a German anti-aircraft gun shelling our planes and saw one shot down. Turned in about 9 o’clock.