Paraded at 8.30 and marched back to Fins headquarters. Left there about 9.30 and arrived at Metz1 after about an hour’s walk. Got a rotten billet. A few men went straight up the line.
Tag Archives: Fins
15 December 1917; Saturday
Took over at midnight. Did some French and wrote a short letter to Charlie. Didn’t sleep well all day. Warned for a new arrangement and to start at 8 tomorrow night instead of 4 o’clock to-night. Lay in bed. A few minutes later warned for duty at once and had to get up. No sooner on duty than warned to clear up and go back to bed and return to headquarters first thing in the morning. Returned to bed.
14 December 1917; Friday
On duty at night. Wrote long letter to Hilda Linfoot1. Two very bad cases in and we didn’t finish them until 9 o’clock. One man’s face was horribly smashed. Spent most of the day in bed but didn’t sleep at all. Very tired at night. Went on duty about 9 o’clock. Got the place ready, talked, and had dinner.
Hilda Tate Linfoot, ALL’s cousin. See Hilda disambiguation page. ↩
13 December 1917; Thursday
Up all night on duty in the stretcher case dressing room. About 20 of us on duty and not a case in. Changed our kit to a fresh place by the side of a stage in a hut. Slept through until nearly tea time. Moved our kit to a nice square marquee at night and slept there until after 11. On duty at 12.
12 December 1917; Wednesday
Up about 7.30. Warned for the Corps main dressing station. Reported at 9 and arrived there in about 10. Warned for our duties. We put the dressing room right in the afternoon and are to go on duty at midnight. Had a bath.
11 December 1917; Tuesday
Up about 8 o’clock. Had breakfast rather late. Wrote up diary. Very cold morning. Spent afternoon messing round camp and picking up rubbish. Sat shivering round the fire in the hut at night.
10 December 1917; Monday
Up about 8 o’clock. No rations up so we had iron ration biscuits and bully for breakfast with a drink of tea without any sugar. Paraded at 10. I reported sick and was given duty. The American officer put a bandage on my ankle. Spent afternoon writing a letter home. We tried to improve our billet but the sergeants took it from us because two officers took theirs. Received letters from Gertie, Mother, Ernie and Hilda Linfoot1 in New Zealand. Got down to it about 8 o’clock. Had a look inside of a tank. Walked round inside gate† and was very much interested in it. Quite a lot2 where we are. A rumour that some of us are going to a place on duty.
Hilda Tate Linfoot, ALL’s cousin. See Hilda disambiguation page. ↩
“Quite a lot [of tanks]”: By this stage of the war in late 1917, tanks were deployed in large numbers – see also note on 22 November. ↩
9 December 1917; Sunday
Called up at 7 in the morning and told to fall in at 8. I rode on a lorry again with the quartermaster’s staff. We left about 9 o’clock (the men marched off shortly after 8 o’clock) and arrived at Fins about 4 o’clock1. We had rather a miserable journey through the most desolate and blasted country. The men arrived about 7 o’clock after 10 hours marching and were very much done up2. They had had no dinner, the same as yesterday. Got into miserable cold billets, just canvas shelters. I was put on guard and did from midnight until 4 o’clock. Very cold in bed and my feet nearly frozen.