Saturday July 15, 1916

I will start the daily diary here.

We have a much easier time here than we had at the rest camp near Havre. There we got up at 4 a.m., breakfast at 4:30. Marched off to the training camp 6 miles away and away up the hills. Had dinner there at 12 and worked in the afternoon till 3:30 when we marched home again to the rest camp. There was no excitement of any kind and it was practically impossible to get a pass down town. Our rations were breakfast - boiled ham, jam, bread and tea; dinner - bread, jam and water (at the tap), supper - hard tack and cheese and tea.

On Wed night about 9:30, after leaving the train, we marched about 5 miles to the Canadian Base right into that fatal horse-shoe (Ypres) where it has cost the Canucks so much to hold. As we walked into this piece of ground we, strange to say, could only hear the anti-air craft guns on our side, but none of the heavy cannonading we expected to hear. On both sides, and in front of us the nervous Germans were throwing up a constant curtain of star shells. These star shells throw out an intense light for about two minutes like a great arc light. We were divided off 11 to a bell tent when we arrived, (a little better than the 17 we had at Havre. One tent had 26 in it there).

Thursday was spent in different inspections. There are about 124 of the 59th men sent to the 26th. So far the 59th has re-enforced the 2nd, 18th, 20th, 26th battalions and the R.C.R's.