2 May 1917; Wednesday

May 1917, , ,
Postcard of the Abbey at Mont des Cats
Postcard of the Abbey at Mont des Cats (see footnote)

Up at 6 o’clock. Got ready for the march. Fine morning. Arrived at Mont des Cats12 at about 1 o’clock. Very hot on the march and the heavy bank at the end nearly did us all in. A splendid place. An old priory or something of the sort with monks in it. A very large place. Watched view from the top. Had dinner and then went to our billets upstairs. On night duty. Went on at 7.30. Old Sergeant Wilson incensed†. Didn’t get down to bed at all. Took officer’s temperature. Sat in easy chairs to sleep.

  1. Mont des Cats (B): 12km W. of La Clytte/Klijte (A), Michelin squares H3/I3. ↩

  2. ALL brought home a postcard (image above) from his 1935 tour of his battlefields showing the Abbey at Mont des Cats, with a note that he had lived there for a week. Interestingly, the name “Mont des Cats” had been neatly excised from the card, presumably during WW1 for security reasons – but the card must still have been in the shop’s stock in 1935. ↩

1 May 1917; Tuesday

May 1917, , , ,

Up at 6.30. Packed all up and ready to move. Left about 10 o’clock and marched to Le Clyte [sic]1. I had a touch of diarrhoea and fell out at Locre and visited a latrine there. Followed them up and arrived shortly after 6. Spent afternoon cleaning up equipment. Had a dose of castor oil. Went over Mont Rouge2 at night with Harvey and Holman. Splendid night and I enjoyed the walk. Sat on the hill and looked round a bit. Returned via West Outer [sic] 3. Went to bed about 9 o’clock.

  1. “Le Clyte”: The march was from Bailleul (A) to La Clytte (now Klijte; B). La Clytte is about 10km NE of Bailleul. ↩

  2. Mont Rouge (C): Now known as Rodeberg, a peak 143m high about 1.5km W. of Locre/Loker. ↩

  3. West Outer (if correct): Westouter (D), 4km W. of La Clytte/Klijte, Michelin square I3. ↩

29 April 1917; Sunday

April 1917, ,

Up about 7.30. Busy in dispensary all morning. Had walk out with Sheldrake in the afternoon. Saw the graperies†. Had tea in a house in the town. Went to the concert hall at night and heard Bob Taylor Brown. He preached a very good sermon. Had short walk alone towards Méteren afterwards. Received orders to pack in the morning and returned to headquarters. Called in the church in the afternoon and heard the organ.

28 April 1917; Saturday

April 1917, , ,

Up at 8 o’clock. Helped to rig up dispensary during the morning. Did a bit French at dinner time. Walked into Méteren1 at night and called at Jeanne’s†2. Bought an apron for Gertie. Stayed a good while and talked. A young New Zealander there. Returned about 8 o’clock.

  1. Méteren (B); 3km W of Bailleul (A). ↩

  2. Jeanne’s: Possibly the same “Jeanes” or “Jennis” mentioned on 20 March. A café? ↩

27 April 1917; Friday

April 1917,

Up about 7.45. Breakfast by about 9. Rather dull morning and cold. Didn’t do much all day. In the afternoon changed places with the other chaps and took over a room downstairs. Believe it to be through Bromley. Bromley drunk at night. Turned in fairly early and read a bit. Stayed in at night and wrote a long letter home.

26 April 1917; Thursday

April 1917, , , ,

Up shortly after 7 o’clock. Paraded at 9. Cleaning waggons until 12 o’clock. Sergeant-major ordered me over Baileul after dinner1. Gave me five minutes’ notice. Rode down in car with Bromley. A splendid place. Washed and cleaned up in the afternoon and then went to the concert. A very good concert. Good orchestra. First half turns and second half “dramatic fragments.” Looked up news at night, which spoke of heavy fighting. Went to bed late.

Will have to play my cards very carefully. Finished reading Villette2.

  1. “Baileul”: 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 10km SSW of La Clyttte/Klijte (A). As usual “after dinner” means “after lunch”; the move to Bailleul would have been in the afternoon, not the evening. ↩

  2. Villette: Novel by Charlotte Brontë first mentioned by ALL on 9th April. See also Villette and Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩

24 April 1917; Tuesday

April 1917

Up at 7 o’clock. On working party at 9 o’clock. Very busy all day in the end breaking through into the old passage. The Germans shelling a battery behind us and we watched shells falling very thickly. Returned about 5 o’clock. Sergeant Watson in charge. Had short walk at night with Holman.

23 April 1917; Monday

April 1917, , ,

Up at 7 o’clock. At the hospital on duty. Cleaned things pretty well up. Finished at night at 6.30 and were relieved by A section. Had short walk out at night.

Went into Kemmel 1 and returned by Locre 2 with Sergeant Powell, Holman and Harvey. Passed a 6” battery firing over our heads.

  1. Kemmel (B): 3km SE. of La Clytte/Klijte (A); Michelin square I3. ↩

  2. Locre/Loker (C) is 3km SW of La Clyttte/Klijte. ↩