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Date: 1918
Diary

1918

Aug 15 Fritz Boots

Aug 16 Slept in cellar

Aug 17 Firing on station

Aug 18 Firing on Somme

Aug 19 Slept in shell hole
1000 yds up

Aug 20 Ammunitions dump coons I will eat that rice now man I'll kill you
Got left = Beaucourt = Beaufort
[?] = Warvillers Vrely

Aug 21 Wins letter = Laugh at Lloyd
piece of shrapnel in eye

Aug 22 oisy-les-Verger Cambrai
Sandemont
Dury

Aug 23 Villuers-Les-Cognic

Aug 24 Arras

Aug 25 Sunday = Bomb 1 Capt 10 men
27 wounded. Capt MacKay
& Capt Robertson. Body [?]
Arms = Bury near church
& we ate our dinner

Aug 26 No forward position =
Fritz retreat = 9 pm pull out
= slept on grassy slope
In rain = lost spud

Aug 27 Held all day = slept in Fritz
Dug out = lousy

Aug 28 Held all day

Aug 29 Travel all day = slept on [?]
in woods near Gagny

Aug 30 Held up at Gagny near Boves.
Rain all day = swim in
River Avre

Aug 31 Tent with Fretheway
Mason & Clemeny
saw Fritz guns 4.2 = 59 naval
& Howitzer

Sept 1 Sunday dinner in
back yard = Load in afternoon
slept in horse car = Manure
pulled out in a.m.

Sept 2 Travelled all day
Potato mash for
supper in horse car
Pulled out 9 P.M.

Sept 3 Unload at 4 a.m.
Cambrai on fire
Pulled out Dunville near Arras
Built tent in wheat = out 3 P.M.

Sept 4 Blavincourt on duty all night
& day of 4th - slept under gun
slept in woods with Freth

Sept 5 On water for two day
slept in trench = made
BK of bacon morning of 6

Sept 6 Left 3 PM on duty. Imperials
lost 11 men glad to get out.
Shelled road - one dead 8 makes
3 FWD & 2 wagons = Sgt Troop wd
in neck

Sept 7 Still on duty slept in shell
hole = rain = mud

Sept 8 Premature on I Brewer = Granville
Wills = McCollum = Bury 3 horses
on duty still. Build Dugout for crew.

Sept 9 Straffed with Pip Squaks.
Bradshaw & J. young 2 miles
Fritz 5000 = Returned after 72
hours

Sept 10 In Dug out = H E Bang overhead
Rain = Sprained wrist

1 P.M. Lost ½ my dinner as well
getting a shower of durt

Just discovered foot board on my
bed is the side of a coffin

Sept 11 Dug Allen = leg wound &
shell shock = Dodge Pip
squak & coal box = move
cook house. 6 P.M. Bombardment
on Rt & last all night.
Dud dropped in back yd
left gate open.

Sept 12 Thorn in wrist ¼" = Raining
BK in Chateau yd. Duck 12
times reading letters.
Fine evening - Fritz over
Cook House Fat
[?] for BC post Ha Ha

Sept 13 Friday shell on 59 size on
9.2 Bty 5 killed 11 wounded
in cookhouse in [?] saw
wounded = left in Lorry
10 P.M. Lorry park 11.30 slept
in Lorry = Jock = Cpt. MacKay
Mr. McNeil wounded.

Sept 14 Clean up = fine boil
on [?] = fine Boil
Slept in Lorry

Sept 15 Sunday = on water 11.50
3 Baloons down flames - Pill Box
across road = Yanks adv on Rt
Plane wing shot off. flying low
Bomb 5 & 6 gun & [?]

Sept 16 Lorry - Tuth - Jock - Irish - I
some rain - Gd 4 A.M. - 8
Rubber Boots = Bombs Guns
Up Sunken Road GD 11 - 1

Sept 17 Duty. Allaby Gd 11 - 1 Slept
Trench 90 Gas over

Sept 18 Off 9 slept 9 - 3. Slept in
Dug out.

Sept 19 On Duty - 9 -11 Gd. Gas helmet
Mustard - Keleiser - Byers
w Johnston

Sept 20 Saturday - Move up = Gas
Fritz by moonlight = Dug out
By railway & hedge = Fight

Sept 22 Sunday
Machine 50 Rds at Plane.
link - Hide & Go Seek. - Railway D O
D - near frose - 10 P.M. - S.O.S. Rain.

Sept 23 Billious - Rain - Cold
on road for shells 10 P.M.
Dodge S.M. Slept by
hedge.

Sept 24 Hump shells
20 X 62 11 P.M.
Dodge Wiz Bangs = Bombs

Sept 25 Buit Shack - Stove - Steps
ect. = Machine gun
Top hole = slept standing up
Bombs

Sept 26 Cook house = Plane Fights
Get up cart.
[?] up on road side
Bombs
Barrage midnight

Sept 27 Big Day. =
Fritz dump shells
12 [?]
300 Rds = Smoke Barrage
pontoons = Left of
Cambrai road.

Sept 28 Slept in Chateau in Cambrai ½ past Du Noch
Canal - walk back = no dinner
on shells = Marquin past Canal
Slept Cambrai road Jinkins
R.A. = H Bowan 2 Heavy

Sept 29 Sunday - Load Shells - up over
Canal 7 P.M. Church 31 horses
Infantry = guns. Cambrai
burning = shell hole = hand spike
[?] head = 7 qts water = move
tent up 4 A.M. warm up

Sept 30 Monday Cold - wet, on duty
Dug out - shell hole = one prisoner
[?] up - Dress head - beside
1st Field Bty = Upset BK & Dinner
on lap. Stew = 1st Division
at 11 P.M. out 4 Barrage in Rain.

Oct 1 Tuesday = 7 A.M. Prisoners down
Bombs on left = 90 Rds = Shell [?] to Canal
Cats pull of Lorry is Mud.
Bombs. Planes down 87 P.M.
185 shells Barrage 5 A.M.

Oct 2 Wednesday 145 Shells at one
Baloon = Cold [?] out 4 A.M.

Oct 3 Thursday Nice day. Baloon down
Shell killed Summerville Adam [?]
& 20 - [?] up. Haneycourt Cemetary
on way down on [?] down
Move to woods
Oct 4 on Duty = 15378 rds
Fire 10 - 2.15 A.M. No 6 gun price in

Oct 5 Saturday off Duty. NCO in hole.
Bombs up. Write letters
Dug out off Cambrai Rd.
Cold - Damp. 24 horses killed
Fire 2 Fritz guns
D. McCan 110 Florence St

Oct 6 Sunday on duty - Pull out
Haneycourt. Unload shell
4 horses 2 killed 3 wd - one in
neck = No NCO's Capt & Bacon
Slept on floor - out 5 A.M.
Bombs & Shells [?]

Oct 7 Mon Rear Position
For 7 P.M. Bombs & Shells

Oct 8 H.C. Cookhouse H. Mack
Barrage 1 A.M. 3rd Army
over on our Rt.
7 P.M. near Cart 5 minutes
[?] on window - 2 Bs
2 feet way - Young shook
bed - 4.10 A.M. 15 dead
of wounds & 14 injured
Chief Cook. Bd [?]

Oct 9 Bd - 1 ham 3 sugar
1 Butter - 3 Jam
1 P.M. 2nd div in Cambrai
Cambrai & Donai on Fire

Oct 10 Bluecourt 3 wounded
Nearing - Furgeson - Coverdale
4 P.M. move up 1800 yds
beside 18 [?] - Gas
4 A.M. Troop & 8 down
line Gas. Bombed at 9
A.M.

Oct 11 Friday bombed 9 A.M.
[?] planes over = Cook
Eswars - Horses & men
all in - Runner caught
men out wounded 3 days
Counter attack at supper

Oct 12 Bath - 20 F for 45 Revolver
McCormack out of mind
Men for 3 guns only
Left of Cambrai & Rt Dover

Oct 13 Sunday
Pulled out 5 P.M. through
Cambrai to Villeurs
Enconches. Supper 12 P.M.
Shells over - Slept hole in Bank
Can & Scoties over & then Eng
200 out of 120 ahead of [?]

Oct 14 Monday Shelled all day

Oct 15 Shelled all A.M. 18 new men
Pepper gas 4 A.M. Water
[?] 2 Hineys in Kitchen

Oct 16 Wed. 7 P.M. 7 killed - Pepper
Gas. No Convoys at Cookhouse
[?] down cellar. Mud to
hips - Gas supper.

Oct 17-18-19 Mud to hips

Oct 20 Sunday Pull out [?]
French peasants - carts wheel
Barrows - Kids - starved - 70 [?]
age - Mud- Rain - No cats
15 days. Chief Cook Epinoy

Oct 21 Monday Pull out

Oct 22 Donain past abacon

Oct 23 Wed Sleep in Barn
Corner Cook house
Bury sewing machine
Money on Bread - Kids in
Biscuit can - Kid told
Soldiers Fritz evacuated
1914 had shot off & not
Father- Kaiser here 4 wds
Soldiers mine corners -
Church but refused - took
Civies up to 45 to pull guns
[?] horses - Girls go to
Town Major - had hand
off - Sugar factory
14 K of Valenciens

Oct 24 Thursday 3 L 20 F for
dress at Abscon near
Valenciens
My 3 sisterns - pulled out
for Map[?]
Gen Currie - from Abscon
to Donain - Heron
Mr. Sharples killed

Oct 31 A/Bdr

Nov 1 Bombardment 200
Rob Henry gassed.
Essential Coal Miner AAP
Valenciens on fire.

Nov 4 Monday, Pulled over canal
inot Valescennes, saw
Merrian & Kidney & Lauder
in 1st Heavies -

Oct 5 On duty pulled out 10 P.M. rained
all day & all night. Last went near
Mons back pulled off tonight
Mill in A.M. rain, lousy in mine
Avres bricks at Hiney - Dead at [?] roads
& sunken road - St. Saulve

Nov 9 Avres slept with us in barn
Pull out near mons in convent
Band in square.

Nov 11 Hostilities close 11 hours
shine guns in Squad
Boussu - Rds all mined
N.C.O. Nov 8 - 18
5 oxen team - one cow & one horse
walk Mons to Boussu 11 k

[Missing part of page]

Coal mines from Boussu
to Mons about 50
Rainway mined at Boussu

Dec 22 San San Feran
Mons - sleeper to Bethune
to Paris

Dec 25 Hotel Diena
Madelaine - Hotel Windsor
Florida - Concorde - Are
Triumph - River Seigne
Bordeau Woods
Fontainbleau = Panthcon
Crocodera.
Celebration New Years eve.

Trip up Lille - slept in barn
next day Bethune - Arras.
Donai - Valescennes - Mons

Major killed on front of [?]
1914

Graves of 1st 1914 last 1918

Woman & kids in barn
with us - cat -

Symphosien Civies heat
shell 2 K, wounded

14 kids killed Mons

Woodbines hit mines at
Boussu

Civies [?] - shell in coal
at mons

Madrid in Brussels

Irish girl in Paris

Baths in Coal Mines

Denise at Boussu

Shave girls at abscon

Skirt at Abscon

Biscuits to Kids

Guard at Chatteau
Boussu

La Sentinal big mines
shook candles out on bed

Meal at midnight cook
house under ledge

H.E. on cobbles

Retreat of civies

Froggies at Vrely

Bradshaw at Cagnicourt

Dugout in gun pit "

Machine gun " " "

9.2 Bty "

Corpse at 11 P.M. "

Horses and FW.D where
troop got it in the neck

90 Rds gas Cagnicourt

McCan & Vincent sick "

5 days on duty "

Woodbines pull out Cagnict

Prisoners in woods "

Shell shock chap 22 Vrely

35 duds Vrely

Tank at "

Plane in Flames "

Slept in shell hole "
Dugout "
Cellar "

Laugh at Lloyd"

Hiney guns pass No 6

two guns forward from
Bourlon woods.

Mr. Palmer- Walford & Bacon

Hugh Mack & 5.9 in yard

2 Bombs 24 feet away

14 down in line

The retreat from the lorries

Mr. Sharples on stove
at - 2 K from Valenciens

Hiney in Barn at La Salle

Guns in Mine creater

Cook house Hany court

Johnston Junkins - Farrilough