Up about 7 o’clock. On duty at 8 o’clock. Fine morning. Pretty busy especially at dinner-time owing to dentist being here. Finished at 6 o’clock and went down road a bit with Sergeant Powell and Billy Truman. Had a good talk with Sergeant Powell on after-war problems and the cause of the war.
A lot of bombing in the night and a German plane brought down not far away.
Up about 7 o’clock and on duty at 8 o’clock. Rained heavily all day. Did a little French. Received letter from Joe. Worked until 8 o’clock. Had short walk round the village at night. News continues to be good. Wrote letter to Charlie.
Up about 7 o’clock and on duty at 8 o’clock. Not much doing all day. Had walk at night. Received parcel from home.
News from the American-French forces very good.
Up about 7 o’clock and on duty at 8 o’clock. Not much to do all day, but fiddling about all day, no work of my own. Wrote letter home and went to C of E service and stayed to communion but didn’t partake of it. Had short walk afterwards with Billy Truman. Slept in headquarters billet again. Slept pretty well.
Up early and packed up. Ambulance paraded at 8.45. Billy Truman and I stayed behind and looked to the disposal of some patients. A corporal in the sanitary section called Linfoot spoke to me and told me about himself. He lives at Manchester but hails from Yorkshire1. Rode to Bourecq2 by car and arrived before the ambulance. Looked to the few patients and opened out hospital in a kitchen shop.
Splendid news from the Champagne district.
Many of the Linfoots, including ALL himself, could trace their roots to North Yorkshire. It is possible that ALL and this new Linfoot were distantly related in some way. See also Family page. ↩
Bourecq (B): western suburb of Lillers, about 8.5 km NNW of Auchel (A). ↩
Up about 7 o’clock and on parade at 8 o’clock. Heard that we were moving tomorrow. Kept fairly busy all day. Went to the pictures at night and they were pretty awful. Enjoyed them in spite of their poorness. Splendid news from the front.
Up rather later than usual and didn’t parade. Temperature down and felt better. Lay down during afternoon and looked up a bit French.
Up about 6.30. Felt a bit groggy all day and ran a temperature of 102.4 at night. Turned in at 6 o’clock. Talked with Billy and Exley until about 9 and then took some aspirin and went to sleep. News that the Germans have advanced a little in the Champagne region and also had losses. Thunder at night. Read two good sermons in the “Great Commonwealth”1.
The Great Commonwealth: Possibly a Christian magazine or periodical taking its name from a passage in 2 Maccabees which describes how Judas Maccabeus led a small army to victory against a superior foe by entrusting the outcome to God. This seems to have been a popular theme among preachers of the time. See also 8 April 1917. ↩
Up about 6.30. Not much Plenty to do. Finished at 8 o’clock. Had short walk. Bought some cherries and turned in. Jerry attacking down south again. Advancing very slowly.
Up about 7 o’clock. On parade at 8 o’clock and on duty. Half day off. Had look round one of the pit heads and it was very interesting.