At camp behind Reningelst. Had pretty good night’s sleep. Nothing to do all day. Put on guard at night from 6 to 10. Lot of French troops passing through. Had good night.
All posts by Arthur Linfoot
14 April 1918; Sunday
[Written at top of page above date: “Very wonderful escape and slightly wounded.”]
Awake a fair part of the night. A 4.2 shell came through the roof of the hut above Ben Jenkins, passed over my body and burst a yard off my face. Blew our side of the hut to pieces. Killed MacDermot and Slade† and wounded Belloc†, Ned Phillips, Ben Jenkins and myself very slightly. A piece of shrapnel halfway through my valise under my head1. My equipment and clothing blown up. Wonderful escape. †Felt unwell† in the afternoon. Included† at La Clyte. Wrote home to expound things. Jerry still advancing. At the Y M service at night and enjoyed it. Moved off to another camp2 at night. Slightly wounded.
ALL had written about another piece of shrapnel, recovered from the shoulder of a patient on 26 July 1916, which ALL subsequently kept as a souvenir. While the shrapnel mentioned today would have been a more significant souvenir, ALL makes no mention in the diary or elsewhere of having retained it. However, that fragment might conceivably be the one depicted on the 26 July 1916 entry, if not the one recovered from ALL’s patient that day. ↩
“Another camp”: apparently also near Reninghelst. ↩
13 April 1918; Saturday
12 April 1918; Friday
Up most of the night. Moved off from Kemmel about 7 o’clock in a car. Did nothing at Vierstraat and got down to it and slept good part of the day. Up for tea and orders to move at night again. Received letter and papers from home. News in the papers more encouraging. Packed up and marched off from Vierstraat at about 10 o’clock at night and arrived at Reningelst road1 about midnight. Went into Nissen hut in a camp there.
“Reningelst road”: assumed to be near Reninghelst (C). The map shows the entire journey, starting from Kemmel (A) and going via Vierstraat (B). ↩
11 April 1918; Thursday
Ordered to pack up at 3 am and move back to Vierstraat and slept on the floor in the dugout. Did nothing all day. Put on duty at night. Moved off very hurriedly by 9 pm to little Kemmel and opened up again. Not much to do at night.
10 April 1918; Wednesday
Germans attacking in the morning on our right and got through a bit. We worked all day. A lot of wind up and muddle. Turned in at advanced dressing station about noon. Rumours plentiful. Harvey, Holman and I moved down to house at Kemmel and opened up. Orders to pack up again ??
9 April 1918; Tuesday
German attack On duty all day and not much to do. Wrote letter and read a lot of “Mr Britling Sees It Through”1.
Novel by HG Wells first mentioned on 3 April. See also Mr Britling Sees it Through and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
8 April 1918; Monday
7 April 1918; Sunday
Packed up and handed over to A Section in the morning. Marched to Vierstraat1 (between Wijtschate and Kemmel) at noon and arrived about tea time. Opened main dressing station. On night duty first night. Not much to do.
6 April 1918; Saturday
Up at about 7 o’clock. On parade and detailed off to work in the dispensary. Harvey off in the afternoon and I did his work. News of moving shortly.