Up about 7.30. On fatigue all day. Wrote long letter to Ernie <as part> of greeting. Put on guard at night. Snowing heavily. Got about 2 hours’ sleep.
Tag Archives: Letters
8 January 1918; Tuesday
Up about 7.30. On fatigue all day. Felt a bit off form and went to bed early. Received letter from Mother.
The air full of peace talk.
7 January 1918; Monday
Up about 7.30. On fatigue all day. Read a bit and wrote a letter or two. Received parcel from home.
5 January 1918; Saturday
Ernie’s Birthday. Spent the day on fatigue. Warned for guard at 4 o’clock to go on at 6 o’clock. Received letter from Father and replied to it. Went on guard. Did from 6 to 10.
3 January 1918; Thursday
Up about 7.45. On parade at 9 o’clock. On working party in the wood. Some German planes over and dropped bombs. Killed a few men and several horses. One of the planes brought down with a bomb. Wrote letter to Ernie. Fine bright day.
Sergeant Rogers warned me to go to the walking wounded place to relieve Mills at once. Went on the car immediately after dinner. Helped with some field artillery wounded. Went to bed about 9.30.
1 January 1918; Tuesday
[In the space before 1 January – ] Things to eat. Old fashioned custard.
Up about 7.30. On working party in the wood. Lit a fire and stood round it. Received a Christmas letter from Joe, also Christmas card, sermon and some papers. Sat over fire at night and wrote letter.
30 December 1917; Sunday
Up about 7.30. Woke up by heavy gunfire and German shells bursting near. Heard that the Germans had attacked and taken two lines of trenches. Saw a few German prisoners. On fatigue all day. Went to a C of E service at night and it was very good. Commenced letter to Mr Eaves1 and then had a discussion about war and armies and all the rest of it. Turned in about 11 o’clock. Pulled out again about 12 to go up the line. About 30 of us altogether.
28 December 1917; Friday
Up about 7.30. On parade at 9. Did precious little in the morning. Washed pants and towel at dinnertime. Received postcard from Leishman. Saw German aeroplane brought down in flames quite near. Spent afternoon round the fire talking and arguing.
27 December 1917; Thursday
On working party again. Stayed at night with Harvey, Holman and Mills and had tea <in> another little dugout. Left about 8 o’clock and came down. Met Mark Jackson, half drunk, and he came into the billet and talked until late. Had good night’s rest.
Received Christmas card from Ranald MacDonald. Big peace rumours. Read account of the official entry into Jerusalem1.
“Official entry into Jerusalem”: Following a long battle, Jerusalem had fallen to the Allies on 9-10 December 1917. On 11 December 1917, Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, GCB, GCMG, GCVO (23 April 1861 – 14 May 1936), commander of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF), made his formal entry into Jerusalem on foot through the Jaffa gate, instead of by horse or vehicle, to show his great respect for the holy place. ↩
26 December 1917; Wednesday
Up about 7.30 and on working party. Spent day until 3.30 at the walking wounded place. Spent night working and suchlike†. Wrote letter home.