Category Archives: September 1918

All diary entries written in September 1918.

9 September 1918; Monday

September 1918, , ,

Up about 8 o’clock. Joined Y M party and went by train to Versailles1. Very wonderful place. Built by Louis XIV. Saw church, ball room, throne room, bed room, board† rooms, senate room, mirrors†, etcetera. Went to English theatre at night and had dinner2 in French restaurant.

  1. The map shows the journey from Paris (A) to Versailles (B). B marks the location of the palace. ↩

  2. “Dinner”, for once, actually appears to mean “dinner”, not “lunch”. ↩

8 September 1918; Sunday

September 1918, ,

Arrived at Paris at about 6 o’clock1. Taken by motors to A P M place2 where we were lectured and afterwards taken to the Hotel Bleriot†. Cleaned up and had breakfast, then walked round the town. After dinner3 got room and lay down for a while. Went to Army and Navy Club at night and heard fine concert by Miss Lena Ashwell’s4 party.

Arrived at Paris.

  1. ALL arrived at 6:00am, having travelled all night. ↩

  2. “APM” probably means “Assistant Provost Marshall“, essentially the local head of the military police. “Place” probably means the APM’s HQ. This possibly explains the lecture – servicemen on leave in Paris were put on notice to behave themselves? ↩

  3. “Dinner” means “lunch”, as usual. ↩

  4. Lena Ashwell: previously transcribed as ‘O’Dell’, without identification, but ‘Ashwell’ appears probable; Lena Margaret Ashwell 1872-1957; OBE 1917; born Lena Margaret Pocock (Ashwell was her adopted stage name), suffragist, trained at Royal College of Music, London; with War Office resistance but patronage from Princess Helena Victoria, she organised numerous drama and good-quality music parties for advanced locations in France from 1915 (said to have been the first to do this on a large scale: 25 parties by 1918). Is it verifiable that one of her parties performed at the Army & Navy Club in Paris on 8 September 1918? ↩

7 September 1918; Saturday

September 1918, , ,

Travelled all night in truck and arrived at Rouen about 9 o’clock1. Left our things at a rest camp, had dinner2 at a restaurant and visited the town. Went through St Ouen’s church3 and up the tower, and through the cathedral4. Pleasant day. Moved off at 9 o’clock at night to Paris5.

  1. ALL arrived at 9:00am, having travelled all night. ↩

  2. “Dinner” means “lunch”, as usual. ↩

  3. Saint-Ouen Abbey Church is a Gothic church in Rouen. It is famous for both its architecture and its Cavaillé-Coll organ, described as “a Michelangelo of an organ” by Charles-Marie Widor, which would doubtless have been of some interest to ALL (himself a capable organist) although he makes no mention if it here. ↩

  4. Rouen cathedral; the other famous Gothic church of Rouen. ↩

  5. The map shows ALL’s continuing journey, from Rouen (A) to Paris (B), where he eventually arrived on 8 September. ↩

6 September 1918; Friday

September 1918, , , , ,

Up at 6 o’clock. Set out for Lillers at 7. Left Lillers about 10. Changed at Etaples and left for Rouen1 at 9 o’clock. Travelled all night in box truck.

  1. The map shows the entire journey from Gonnehem (A) to Rouen (D), where ALL eventually arrived on the morning of 7 September, via Lillers (B) and Étaples (C). ↩

5 September 1918; Thursday

September 1918, ,

Heard that our passes were through1. Busy in dressing room and packing all day. Funeral of Walsh, Stothard and Gilmour2 in the morning.

  1. The passes were for ALL’s Paris leave; the application had been submitted on 2 September. ↩

  2. See yesterday’s entry for ALL’s note of the deaths of Walsh, Stothard and Gilmour. All are now interred at Gonnehem British Cemetery, less than ½ km E. of Gonnehem itself, where ALL’s unit was stationed at the time (see map). ↩

5 – 12 September (except part of 8 and 11 Sept.) written in ink with very thick nib; thus (with ruled lines only 4mm apart) exceptionally cramped and difficult to decipher.

4 September 1918; Wednesday

September 1918,

Up at 7 o’clock and on parade and duty at 8 o’clock. Heard that Walsh, Stothard & Gilmour were killed1 and Whittaker badly wounded. Fine day. Good news from all the battle front. John Dory went on leave.

  1. 341610 Private John Edward Walsh, 76886 Private William Stothard and 46674 Private Dennis Gilmour (the prior three links are to records on the Commonweath War Graves Commission site), all of the 58th Field Ambulance, had apparently been killed on 3 September.

    Privates Stothard and Gilmour are also listed on Lives of the First World War; Private Walsh is not. ↩