Up at 7 o’clock. Church parade 9 o’clock. Poor service though it looked very smart. The infantry were in battle order. Wrote letter home in the afternoon. Went to service at night with John Dory and had short walk afterwards. Pretty good service and the singing very good for a small party.
Tag Archives: Chapel
5 August 1917; Sunday
Up at about 7 o’clock. Usual day. On in the afternoon and off at night. Wrote a letter to Franchie Inwood. At the Y M at night and found the service very good.
29 July 1917; Sunday
Up at 7 o’clock. Kept fairly busy all day. 3 patients went out. At Y M service at night. Had short walk before with Bob Walker and we were in the Outtersteene Road1 when Fritz2 sent some shells over in the direction of the station3.
The Outtersteene Road is a road, now the D23, running SW from Bailleul (A) to Outtersteene (B), about 5km away. Bailleul station, apparently the objective of “Fritz'” shelling, is at (C). ↩
Fritz: a name given to German troops by the British and others in the First and Second World Wars. ↩
Probably Bailleul station. ↩
22 July 1917; Sunday
Usual day’s work. Heard that the Russians have stopped fighting in places1 and the Germans are driving them back. Freddie went on leave. Fritz2 shelled a lot. I got a new patient in Freddie’s ward.
German aeroplanes over at night bombing. A lot of anti-aircraft stuff in action and the noise pretty loud.
Off at night and went to Y M with Harry Bascombe and Gus. Had short walk afterwards.
“The Russians have stopped fighting…”: ALL had noted the February Revolution in his diary entry of 18 March, and had also noted a rumour of Russian withdrawal from the war on 19 May. In fact Russian involvement in the war, though increasingly unenthusiastic, continued officially until October/November 1917. ↩
Fritz: a name given to German troops by the British and others in the First and Second World Wars. ↩
15 July 1917; Sunday
Up at 7 o’clock. Off in the afternoon and night and went to La Clytte to see Ernie, but he didn’t turn up. Gus Rodman and Bob Walker with me. Stayed to the service at the La Clytte Y M. Service not up to much. An R F C motor-cyclist came to grief on the way down and we helped him. Not much worse. Beautiful night. Turned in in good time. Received field card from Ernie to say he couldn’t get.
1 July 1917; Sunday
Up at 7 o’clock. Kept fairly busy all day. Went to service at night. Very good service and pretty good sermon though rather too long. Bob Walker with me. Ernie1 not turned up yet. Received letter from home.
Ernie: see 5 July. There is nothing to indicate whether Ernie’s battery was in the Ypres Salient in time to take part in the Messines Ridge bombardment. See also: Family page, and all diary entries tagged “Ernie”. ↩
24 June 1917; Sunday
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. ↩
17 June 1917; Sunday
Up at 6.45. Kept pretty busy all day. Very hot day. Lieutenant Wilson went to C C S and gave me ten francs. Heard of a new slight advance and capture of a few more prisoners. Harvey, John Dory and his brother called for me and we went to the Y M. Gus Rodman also with us. After service walked round the town and then went by the flying ground. Bonny night.
3 June 1917; Sunday
Up at 6.30 as usual. Kept busy all day. Off at night and went to the Y M service. Enjoyed it very much. Had short walk round afterwards. Eric Hardy, Wishaw, Billy Truman, Lennie Protherell†, Peter Simmons and Exley down.
27 May 1917; Sunday
Up at 6.30. Busy as usual. My turn off at night. Went to the Y M service by Amiss†. Enjoyed it very much. Good singing and good hymns. Watched the Germans shell an observation balloon and the observers go down in their two parachutes.
Fritz1 shelled heavily at night and did some damage.