Up at 7 o’clock. Not much to do and learned a bit French in the morning. Capt. Johnson left us to go to number 4 stationary hospital at York. He shook hands with us at parting. Very sorry to lose him.
The Duke of Connaught in the town presenting medals gained in the recent fighting. My turn on so I wrote home. Glorious day. Received letter from Franchie to say that she has got well again. Returned letter to Franchie. Went to Merry Mauves with Driver and they were very good.
Up at 7 o’clock. Rather late with our work first thing. Out in the afternoon. Lieutenant Gunning and Captain Russell went to C C S. Wrote letter to Ernie. Not much doing at night. Read little satire ‘Pig on Artemis.”1 Freddy Holmes drunk and Dai Davies drunk last thing.
[2 – 3 lines scarcely visible: “…. orderlies ….off a waggon ….. and we had him in …. time. He appeared a bit shaken.”]
German aeroplanes dropped 8 bombs near the aerodrome at about midnight and put the wind up us. The big gun also shelled the rail head.
“Pig on Artemis” may have been an item in a magazine such as Everyman. See also Everyman and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
Up at 6.45. Kept busy all day. Finished about 4 o’clock and went to Y M with Lomax and Gus. Very good service and I stayed afterwards to the sing-song. Grand service and returned to billet. Lay awake until nearly midnight reading to finish up “At the Foot of the Rainbow”1 and finished it. The big German gun threw over 4 shells and then an aeroplane or two dropped 8 bombs. We got the wind up and went down craters for a few minutes. Returned again and slept well all day.
David Bywater† went down the line.
A new captain came to take over from Captain Johnson.
At the Foot of the Rainbow is a 1907 novel by Gene Stratton-Porter, an early naturalist, nature photographer, and one of the first women to form a movie studio and production company, Gene Stratton-Porter Productions, Inc. See also At the Foot of the Rainbow and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩
Gene Stratton-Porter (1863 – 1924) was an American author, early naturalist, and nature photographer.
Gene Stratton-Porter’s 1907 novel, At the Foot of the Rainbow, uses fishing as a backdrop to tell the story of Jimmy Malone and Dannie Macnoun, who is in love with Jimmy’s wife, Mary.
On 24 June 1917, Arthur Linfoot wrote that he “lay awake until nearly midnight reading” this book.
Up at 6.45. I stayed on at night. Captain Johnson called me up at night and told me he had discovered that Lieutenant Grieve and his friend were bringing whisky in and told me off about it. Johnny Astley told a deliberate lie and let me down badly. I met Johnny afterwards and talked to him. He said he understood how it was. A big row. Found out Dai Davies had got the bottle of whisky.
↑ Here to 27 June stained, some days esp. 25th & 26th also very faint. ↑
Up at 6.45. Busy all morning. Rather showery. Increase in the number of big ships sunk. I stayed on and nothing †new happened†.
Up at 6.45. Kept busy all day. A lot of staff officers and a few generals down at our place investigating who captured a certain objective – 25 or 36 Division. My night off. Went to Pierrots1 with Harry Bascombe and Whittaker. Whittaker lost his cap under the platform and a French lady found it for him. Pretty fair show. A big row in the town between Home and Australian troops. Tried to buy razor for a man in my ward but couldn’t get a decent one.
Pierrots: Another concert party? ↩
Up at 7 o’clock. Through in good time in the morning. The Germans sent one or two shells over. Fine morning but heavy showers hanging about. My night on and kept fairly busy. Got in a new captain.
Up at about 6.45. Kept pretty busy all day. Captain Johnson paraded us and told us that we must keep our wards clean and tidy. Off at night. Went to the pictures at the Y M. They were vile. Commenced letter to Charlie. Received new clothing from headquarters – a pair of trousers for me.