Category Archives: February 1917

All diary entries written in February 1917.

28 February 1917; Wednesday

Up at 7 o’clock. Shaved and dressed and went to tent. Had paste egg1 for breakfast. Posted letter to Charlie. Expecting 400 to [figure omitted?] wounded soldiers.

The papers tells [sic] us of the capture of Serre, Pys, Miraumont2 etcetera. 2 mile advance on 12 mile front – also capture of Kut- el-Amam3.


  1. “Paste egg”: North-Eastern English vernacular for hard boiled egg. Paste eggs were usually decorated and were associated with Easter although this particular paste egg would have been neither. 

  2. Miraumont (A) and Pys (B) are 5km and 7km respectively E. of Serre (C; Michelin square I7); Pys is 3km NW of the D929 from Albert to Bapaume, and only 7km from the latter. 

  3. Possibly a reference to the second battle of Kut. See also yesterday and 20 February

27 February 1917; Tuesday

Up at usual time. Papers mention the capture of Serre & village beyond1.

Rumoured capture of Kut-el-Amam2.

Walked to Lealvillers but found no concert there. Bought some things and walked to the little cocoa house and had some biscuits and cocoa. Went to bed fairly early and slept well. Wrote long letter home. Had tent crowded out at night.


  1. See 25 February

  2. Possibly a reference to the second battle of Kut. See also 20 February

25 February 1917; Sunday

Busy all day. M O called round twice and rumour of the evacuation of Serre1. All sorts of news going round all day. Went to service at night at the Y M C A.


  1. Serre (C): Michelin square I7, about halfway between Gommecourt (A) and Thiepval (B) and 12km E of Acheux-en-Amiénois (D). This was evacuation by the Germans. See the Capture of Serre at The Accrington Pals and Serre at World War One battlefields.