Up at 5.30. Pulled down bivouac, had breakfast, cleaned up and paraded at 8.30 and marched off at 9 o’clock. Passed through Avize and arrived at Oger1 at about 11 o’clock. Spent afternoon in billet and had pleasant walk at night. Fine night though showery morning. Received letter from Ernie and from Hilda Linfoot2.
Avize (B) and Oger (C) are villages some 8km and 9km SE. from Pierry (A); Michelin 515, square O9. ↩
Hilda Linfoot: ALL’s cousin in New Zealand. See Hilda disambiguation page. ↩
Up at about 7 o’clock in the morning and did nothing but French all day. Walked through the village at night. The band didn’t play. Finished our meals and tried to think things out a bit.
Up about 7 o’clock. On parade and dismissed. Spent morning and afternoon reading and writing. Received interesting letter from Charlie and a letter from Ranald MacDonald. Better news from Italy. Went into village at night and heard the Italian band play. It was very good.
Up at 6.30. Rather dull morning. On parade as usual and spent morning digging a hole. Read all afternoon1 and had pass to Epernay at night with Harvey. It rained heavily and rather spoiled our visit. Had splendid dinner. Back about 9 o’clock.
The Passionate Friends again? See The Passionate Friends and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
Up about 7 o’clock. Paraded at 9. Not much to do. Read a good lot of Wells’ “Passionate Friends”1 and wrote home and to Charlie. Received letter from home. Not much in the news. Our Divisional band played in the village in the afternoon and in the evening an Italian band played splendidly. Had walk with Holman at night. Quite a †new life† with this place. Saw the girl I spoke to a few days ago2. Some bonny kiddies in the town. The troops of four armies in the crowd. Heard that Austrians had attacked on the Italian front.
“[The] Passionate Friends”: 1913 novel by H G Wells. ALL had started to read this book a few days earlier, on 10 June. See also The Passionate Friends and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
ALL did not record his earlier meeting with this girl in his diary. ↩
Up about 6.30 and on parade. Not much to do. Had boots repaired in the afternoon and went for a long walk with Sergeant Powell, Billy and Harvey at night. Splendid walk and splendid night. People looked at us strangely as if they hadn’t seen many English troops. Had a coffee in an estaminet in which were English, Italian and French troops, very picturesque.
Up about 6.30. Paraded at 8 o’clock and on fatigue most of the morning. Commenced letter to Franchie. On fatigue in the afternoon. Had walk at night with Holman and Billy Truman. Glorious night. War news better. Letter from Ernie.
Up at 6.30 and on parade at 8 o’clock. On parade a short time in the morning. Looked up some French. Better news in the paper. Glorious weather. Letter from Charlie.
Up about 7 o’clock. Went out into Bill’s bivouac. Fine day again. Bright in the afternoon. Wrote a letter, had a bath and washed some things. Bought some grub for tea. Better news from the battle which is raging.
The Passionate Friends is a 1913 novel by H. G. Wells.
It takes the form of a letter to the his son by Stephen Stratton in which he sets out the story of his relationship with Lady Mary Christian, later Lady Mary Justin, with whom he had had a lifelong, on-again, off-again affair, although they had never married.
Arthur Linfoot wrote that he had ‘Commenced to read “The Passionate Friends”’ on 10 June 1918, shortly after arriving at Pierry, just south of Epernay.