Up at 7 o’clock. Paraded for a bath at 8 o’clock. Paraded at 2 and got hospital ready. Told at 3.30 that Billy and I had to go to another village to a baths job. Went by car at 4.30 and couldn’t find our baths. Ultimately found the place in ruined village and returned to our billet for the night.
23 October 1918; Wednesday
Up at 7 o’clock and found the place pretty full of wounded. I was clerk all day. The 61st Division relieved us at 4. We waited until after 5 for a car. Had to go a new way and were lost. Changed drivers and the new man was no good. Had a puncture and didn’t arrive until about 8 o’clock. Got down to it and slept well. Harry Streets back again with the unit. Heard that the Belgians had advanced well up the Belgian coast and that the whole region is moving forward.
22 October 1918; Tuesday
Up at about 7 o’clock. Kept busy all day and were properly fed up at night. Had some bad cases in from field artillery. Not so much shelling, but quite enough.
Awoke in the early hours of Wednesday morning with heavy shelling in the village. Some fell behind our place and one immediately in front and the gas came to us very strongly. Barrage went up at 2 o’clock and the German artillery stopped.
21 October 1918; Monday
Up at 6 o’clock and went in cars to Haussy1. Arrived there about 10.30 and walked across it to the far side and set up dressing station in cellars. Jerry shelled heavily all day and we had a pretty rotten time. A few dead men lying in the village and some civilians still knocking about. Trouble with cough at night and were all sneezing and coughing.
20 October 1918; Sunday
Up about 7 o’clock. Rather restless night and awoke with the barrage at 2 o’clock. Lumps of ceiling falling down during the night with the wet. Lay about all day. Changed billet. Received a letter from Harvey saying that he had got an extension of leave. A big shell dropped in the village and we all went down to the cellar. Sat there and slept all night. Had good night. Warned for A D S in the morning.
19 October 1918; Saturday
Up at about 7 o’clock. Changed over rooms and cleaned up. Received orders that we should prepare to be going into action tonight. Division going over the top. Party of bearers and A D S party moved off well after 2 o’clock to Avesnes les Aubers1 and arrived shortly after tea time. Got up into hutch building for billet and played cards with Wood, Dory, Billy and Edgar until late, and then got down to it. Wet, dismal night.
Avesnes les Aubers : Avesnes-les-Aubert (B), 2km E. of Rieux-en-Cambrésis (A). ↩
18 October 1918; Friday
Up about 6 o’clock. Breakfast 6.30. Packed up and moved at 9 o’clock. Arrived at Rieux1 about 1 o’clock. Opened up hospital after dinner and slept in cellar under hospital. Heard that Ostend & Bruges had been taken and that Lille is encircled.
17 October 1918; Thursday
Up at 7 o’clock after good night‘s sleep. Heard that the Belgians and British in the north had taken 11 thousand prisoners and 100 guns. Warned to go up the line with the A D S party. Went up to billet and slept. Slept in the hospital. Played some duets with Cox at night1.
Heard that we will be moving in the morning.
Duets: On the organ in the billet again? ↩
16 October 1918; Wednesday
Up at about 7 o’clock and on duty. Wet night and day. Had to move our beds in the night owing to the rain coming through the roof. Heard that the Belgians had advanced further and taken prisoners and guns. Had some music at night and turned in about 9 o’clock. Had long talk with old artilleryman in the ward.
15 October 1918; Tuesday
Up at 7 o’clock. Received about 10 patients and full up. At night went along to billet and played duets1 with Cox. Got down to it about 10 o’clock.
Played duets: Perhaps on the organ, which ALL had found in this new billet two days earlier? ↩