Up at 7 o’clock. Moved off to a C C S 1 place behind Poperinghe2 about 10 and arrived at dinnertime. Rested all day and slept well at night. Very heavy fighting all day. Beare†, Nelson, Watson and Gray came down gassed slightly. Heard that Sergeant Watson had been killed within 12 hours of joining us.
Tag Archives: Reninghelst
15 April 1918; Monday
At camp behind Reningelst. Had pretty good night’s sleep. Nothing to do all day. Put on guard at night from 6 to 10. Lot of French troops passing through. Had good night.
14 April 1918; Sunday
[Written at top of page above date: “Very wonderful escape and slightly wounded.”]
Awake a fair part of the night. A 4.2 shell came through the roof of the hut above Ben Jenkins, passed over my body and burst a yard off my face. Blew our side of the hut to pieces. Killed MacDermot and Slade† and wounded Belloc†, Ned Phillips, Ben Jenkins and myself very slightly. A piece of shrapnel halfway through my valise under my head1. My equipment and clothing blown up. Wonderful escape. †Felt unwell† in the afternoon. Included† at La Clyte. Wrote home to expound things. Jerry still advancing. At the Y M service at night and enjoyed it. Moved off to another camp2 at night. Slightly wounded.
ALL had written about another piece of shrapnel, recovered from the shoulder of a patient on 26 July 1916, which ALL subsequently kept as a souvenir. While the shrapnel mentioned today would have been a more significant souvenir, ALL makes no mention in the diary or elsewhere of having retained it. However, that fragment might conceivably be the one depicted on the 26 July 1916 entry, if not the one recovered from ALL’s patient that day. ↩
“Another camp”: apparently also near Reninghelst. ↩
13 April 1918; Saturday
12 April 1918; Friday
Up most of the night. Moved off from Kemmel about 7 o’clock in a car. Did nothing at Vierstraat and got down to it and slept good part of the day. Up for tea and orders to move at night again. Received letter and papers from home. News in the papers more encouraging. Packed up and marched off from Vierstraat at about 10 o’clock at night and arrived at Reningelst road1 about midnight. Went into Nissen hut in a camp there.
“Reningelst road”: assumed to be near Reninghelst (C). The map shows the entire journey, starting from Kemmel (A) and going via Vierstraat (B). ↩
7 September 1917; Friday
Up shortly after 7 o’clock. Parades as usual. Got inspected at 2 o’clock. Digging trench round a tent all morning. Went to Reninghelst at night and saw Ernie. We walked into the village and went to the Snipers1. They were very poor. Left shortly before 8 o’clock and returned about 9. Met a sergeant on the way who spoke of a very big attack fiasco on the coast.
The Snipers: Another revue? ↩
6 September 1917; Thursday
Up at 7 o’clock as usual. Picking hops all day. Warm day. Wrote letter home. Went to see Ernie at night with Holman. Went to find the battalion of his brother. Heavy rain but we escaped it. Ernie supposed to be in bed as he ran a temperature in the morning.
5 September 1917; Wednesday
Up about 7 o’clock. I had washing all day. Did sergeants’ mess kitchen in the afternoon. Went to see Ernie at night and found him much better. Walked up and down a little military cemetery outside the hospital and talked. Left about 8 o’clock as usual.
Bombing raids nearly every night about this time. A fair amount of damage this time.
4 September 1917; Tuesday
Up about 7 o’clock. In bag store all day †getting the bales of long ties† * included. Finished 3.30 and had a bath. Went to see Ernie and found him much better.
2 September 1917; Sunday
Up at 7 o’clock. Finished at noon and set out to Ernie at the battery1 and arrived about 3.45. Found that Ernie had gone down sick. Swan and the red-haired lad set me down to Dikbush A D S2. I was informed that Ernie had gone to Reninghelst3. Walked down to Reninghelst and arrived there about 7 o’clock. Stayed about half an hour with Ernie and then returned to headquarters.
Bombs dropped all round in the night.