Category Archives: March 1917

All diary entries written in March 1917.

21 March 1917; Wednesday

March 1917, ,

Up at 6 o’clock. Blankets handed in about 7 and marched off1 at 8 o’clock. Passed through Bailleul. Arrived at La Clyte2 about noon. Detailed off for the hospital in the afternoon. A fine hospital – previously a school. Sergeant Powell in charge and the usual 6 on the job.   11 kilos.

  1. “Marched off”, from Outtersteene (A). ↩

  2. La Clyte: sic – actually La Clytte in 1917 and now (Flemish) Klijte (B), midway between Bailleul and Ypres (Ieper), on the D23; Michelin square I3. ↩

20 March 1917; Tuesday

March 1917, ,

Up at 7.30. Parade at 10 o’clock. Pottered about all day. Walked into Meteren 1 at night with Harvey and Holman and called at Jeanes2. Had eggs and chips and spent a pleasant evening. Lost our way coming back and arrived about 9 o’clock.

  1. Méteren (B) is 6km NNE. of Outtersteene (A), 5km W. of Bailleul; Michelin square I3. ↩

  2. Jeanes, or Jennis: nothing more is known, although “Jeannes”, also at  Méteren, is mentioned again on 28 April; possibly the same place. A café or similar? ↩

19 March 1917; Monday

March 1917, , ,

Up at 7.30. Had eggs and chips for dinner along with Harvey. Had full marching order inspection and then cleaned the waggons. Walked into Baileul1 in the afternoon. Had tea and then went to the Merry Mauves2 and enjoyed their concert. Returned about 9 o’clock.

  1. Baileul: ALL always omits one ‘l’ from ‘Bailleul’ in his longhand; the transcription follows this, but where he writes it in shorthand, ie phonetically, it is transcribed with the correct spelling. Bailleul (B): is 5km NW. of  Outtersteene (A) and 16km SSW. of Ypres; Michelin square I3. ↩

  2. Merry Mauves: The soldiers’ revue first mentioned on 22 September and again on 26 September 1916, also at Bailleul. ↩

18 March 1917; Sunday

Abridged, March 1917, , , , , ,

Mooned about until 2 o’clock. Came back to the billet and roused Lee Hughes. Up at 6.30. Cleaned up ready for parade. Dull morning. Marched off about 11 o’clock. Passed through Hazebrouck1 and saw the people going out of the big church. Sat by the roadside and had tea served up. Arrived at Outersteene2 about 4.30. Decent village and good billet. Went out with Ridgeport† and had eggs and chips. Supposed to finish guard but didn’t go on it. Had short walk in the direction of Meteren3. Four of our chaps went into Méteren. Turned in early. Had meat and tinned tongue for supper.

22 kilos.

Heard rumour of Bapaume being captured and revolt in Russia4.

  1. Hazebrouck (B): 11km NE. of Boësighem (A); Michelin square H3. ↩

  2. Outersteene (C): Outtersteene is 10km E. of Hazebrouck, 5km SW. of Bailleul (D), Michelin square I3. ↩

  3. Meteren (E): Méteren is 6km NNE. of Outtersteene, 5km W. of Bailleul (D); also Michelin square I3. ↩

  4. The February revolution in Russia had started on 8 March 1917 (23 February in the Julian calendar). ↩

17 March 1917; Saturday

March 1917, ,

Up at 7 o’clock. Cleaned up and cleared up billet. Marched off about 10 o’clock and arrived at Bouzingham1 at about 2 o’clock. Received parcel from home.

12 kilos.

Fell in for guard at 6 o’clock and decided I to be 2nd. Todd of B section went first and left Hughes last. Went on guard at 10 o’clock. Sat on the front of an ambulance waggon most of the time.

  1. Bouzingham: possibly Boëseghem (B), 12km N. of Lespesses (A) and 4km NE. of Aire-sur-la-Lys (C), on the D157 to Hazebrouck; Michelin square G4. ↩

16 March 1917; Friday

March 1917, , , ,

[This entry written on page for 15 March, “15” altered to “16”.]

Up at 6.30. Fell in at 9.15. Marched off with the band. Had good march and arrived at Lespesses1 about noon. Walked into St Hilaire at night2 with Bernard Stanton and spent a few minutes in a canteen. Returned home about 8 o’clock. Finished reading They & I by Jerome3. Billeted in an outhouse near a barn.

10 kilos.

  1. Lespesses (B): 10km N. of Pernes (A) and 4km W. of Lillers; Michelin square G4. ↩

  2. St Hilaire: St-Hilaire-Cottes (C), 1km NW. of Lespesses; also Michelin square G4. ↩

  3. They and I by Jerome K. Jerome, most famous for Three Men in a Boat, is apparently one of his lesser known works. It is a first person narrative concerning the remodelling of a house, and the interactions of the narrator with his children during this process. See also They and I and Arthur Linfoot’s library. ↩

15 March 1917; Thursday

March 1917,

[This entry written on page for 16 March, “16” altered to “15”.]

Up at 8 o’clock and rested all day. Spent the forenoon in the village. After dinner cleaned waggons and then went to the Canadian camp and listened to the Divisional band and watched two football matches. After tea went round the village with Stanton. Called in the church and stayed a few minutes to a service and heard the organ. Turned in pretty early.

14 March 1917; Wednesday

March 1917, , ,

Up at 7 o’clock. Marched off at 9.15. Had good march mostly on the main road. Our section leading. Had rain part of the way. Arrived at Pernes1 about 2 o’clock. Went into the village at night and wrote two letters at the Y M hall. Quite a big place with a market place. Billeted in a loft above a house.

17 kilos.

  1. Pernes (B): on the D916, 10km S. of Lillers (C) and 17km N. of Séricourt (A); Michelin square G5. ↩

13 March 1917; Tuesday

March 1917, ,

Up at 7 o’clock. Marched off at 9.15. Good road most of the way, but heavy marching at the end over a field. Arrived Siracourt1 about 2 o’clock. Walked round small village. Had coffee at an estaminet2. Billeted in a barn in a dirty farm.

15 kilos.

  1. Siracourt: Séricourt (B) is just E. of the D916 Doullens-St Pol road, 10km N. of Bouquemaison (A); Michelin square F6. ↩

  2. “Estaminet”: A small café. ↩