Up at 5.30 and got cleaned up. Wet morning. Moved to Le Vertannay1 farm and went on night duty again. Lay down during the afternoon and came on duty at 9 o’clock. Only slept short time and was very sleepy later in the morning. Received letter from Charlie and one from Franchie – quite a bright letter.
Le Vertannay (spelling not really certain): only a farm, so not identified on Michelin map. ↩
Up about 7 o’clock and on duty at 8 o’clock. Rained heavily all day. Did a little French. Received letter from Joe. Worked until 8 o’clock. Had short walk round the village at night. News continues to be good. Wrote letter to Charlie.
Up at about 6.30 and on parade at 8 o’clock. Finished packing up the little hospital in the Salle de Reunion. Spent afternoon writing to Hilda Linfoot1 and to Charlie in reply to a letter just received. Glorious weather. Had walk at night and sat by the road-side and sang a few hymns through. Beautiful evening. Some of the men in the billet drunk and talked a lot of rot.
Hilda Linfoot: ALL’s cousin in New Zealand. See Hilda disambiguation page. ↩
Up at about 7 o’clock. Eggs for breakfast. Paraded at 9 o’clock and dismissed after inspection. Wrote to Charlie most of the morning and had a short walk before dinner with Harvey. Finished Charlie’s letter and posted it in the afternoon. Received letter from home in the afternoon. Had walk at night. Saw some very large cross† sloe-berries. Glorious night.
Anniversary Sunday1 at home.
Up about 7 o’clock and on parade at 9 o’clock. Dismissed after inspection and kit inspection at 10 o’clock. Spent day looking up a bit French and writing to Charlie. Walked to next village at night with Harvey, Holman, and Billy. Fine night.
Up at about 7 o’clock. Paraded at 2 o’clock, full marching order, and marched to the buses a short distance away. Started off about 3 in the buses and arrived at Boussey le Petit1 at about 6 o’clock. Had tea and a walk round the village. Determined to write to Charlie.
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 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 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. Not much to do all day. Stayed in until last thing but when I had a short walk with Willie Truman. Fine day. Wrote letter to Mr Inwood and one to Charlie and did a little French, besides reading through a book by Foottit† entitled “The Guard”1.
Foottit’s “The Guard”: Author and book not yet identified. Other books are listed in Arthur Linfoot’s Library. ↩