Up at 7 o’clock. Had restless night owing to Duggins pulling the things off me. Did nothing all day but write a few letters. Walked round village at night. Stiff and tired from yesterday’s march. Very hot weather and fine.
All posts by Arthur Linfoot
3 August 1916; Thursday
This is an extract from Arthur Linfoot’s own transcription of his diary, written in 1976.
Up at 5.30 breakfast at 6. Sent on waggon duty. Put my kit on a motor ambulance and went with it to Mericourt station. Met the unit there and told to follow them. Hurried back to Laviéville, got my pack and hurried to Mericourt. Entrained in cattle trucks at about 10 o’clock. Passed through Longpre and Amiens at about 1.30. Got off train there and were led in wrong direction. Marched about three hours in hot sun. Terrible dusty roads. Blister under right heel. Billeted in bivouac in a field with Duggins. Walked to the village – Vauxchelle – after tea. Had two eggs at one house and a feed at another.
3 August 1916; Thursday
Up at 5.30. Breakfast at 6 o’clock. I was told off for a waggon. Put my kit up a motor ambulance and went with it to take some Worcesters† to Méricourt Station. Made our lot up and was told to follow them. Went back to Laviéville, got a pack and hurried to Mericourt Stn1 with the others. Entrained then in cattle truck at 10 o’clock. Passed through Amiens. Arrived Longpré about 1.30. Set off to march in the wrong direction. Marched for about 3 hours in the sun and was very much fagged out. Washed feet and legs. Terribly dusty and had a bruise under my right heel. Billeted in a field in a bivouac along with Duggins. Walked round village (Vauchelle2) at night. Had two eggs at one house and a feed at another.
Méricourt-l’Abbé (A) has a railway station where ALL could have boarded a train to pass through Amiens as he describes and travel on to Longpré-les-Corps-Saints (B). ↩
Assuming that Longpré is Longpré-les-Corps-Saints (where ALL had been on 8 June, a week or so after arriving in France), and taking the 3 hours’ march on 3 August into account, “Vauchelle” would seem to be Vauchelles-lès-Domart, 7km NE of Longpré (C); there is also a Vauchelles-lès-Quesnoy (D), on the outskirts of Abbeville (and a Vauchelles-lès-Authie, between Doullens and Albert, as well as a plain Vauchelles near Noyon.) ↩
2 August 1916; Wednesday
This is an extract from Arthur Linfoot’s own transcription of his diary, written in 1976.
Slept pretty well. Again ordered to prepare for inspection by C.O. These cancelled and ordered to clean waggons and pack them. Inspected by C.O. in the afternoon. He read a letter from General Rowlandson (Commander of 19th Division) saying he appreciated the work of the division while in the Fourth Army and referred to the 19th as the captors of La Boisselle and as having given valuable help in the capture of Mametz and Bazentin-le-Petit. Transport waggons moved off.
2 August 1916; Wednesday
Slept pretty well. Orders to put up pack ready for inspection by C.O. Orders cancelled and ordered to clean waggons and pack up. Did some fatigue and the waggons went off. Had inspection at night and the C.O. read a letter from General Rowlandson1 saying that he appreciated the 19 Division’s work while with the 4th Army and he regretted to leave them. He referred to them as captors of La Boiselle and a great help in the village of Mametz and Bazentin.
1 August 1916; Tuesday
This is an extract from Arthur Linfoot’s own transcription of his diary, written in 1976.
Received parcel and letter from home and acknowledged them. Duggans and I went into a field and put up bivouac. Had dinner and tea out of my parcel.
1 August 1916; Tuesday
Up at 9 o’clock. Orders to clean up for the inspection. Wrote letter home. Went out into field with Duggins and put up bivouac in the field. Received parcel from home and had dinner and tea out of it.
31 July 1916; Monday
This is an extract from Arthur Linfoot’s own transcription of his diary, written in 1976.
Up at 7 o’clock. Very hot all day. The remainder of the bearers came down from the trenches in the afternoon and we marched off to Laviéville at night. Went to our old billets in the farmyard where the shrewish wife1 lives.
31 July 1916, Monday
30 July 1916; Sunday
This is an extract from Arthur Linfoot’s own transcription of his diary, written in 1976.
Up at seven a.m. After breakfast we walked down to the horse lines. Made a big shelter from rain with waggon sheets and waggons. Very hot day and I felt very tired. Germans shelled very heavily to the left and right of us with big stuff. After tea a few squads were sent up as reserves to the 59th Ambulance and the rest of us came back to the Chateau near Fricourt. Told to be ready to fall in and go up the line any time. Slept in the bivouac with Lavere again.