December 1

Go into the line tonight and hope I come out alive, heard we have to go over the top, cold and not raining, giving this to Charlie Gray who is going to England to post

December 2

Arrived in trenches at 7:00 p.m., gave C. Gray other diary to mail in England, cold weather, plenty food, in same positions as before

December 3

Cold weather, on ration party, firing on front line tonight, in new firing position, water tank burst by shell

December 4

Firing again tonight, still cold, very lousy and dirty, got letter from Brown, good food, water tanks fixed, fire night and morning daily

December 5

Areoplane scrap, on ration party, cold and gun water froze up in gun, letter from Emily

December 6

Carrying ammunition today to position, gas attack was made as ordered because of wind, narrow escape from MG bullet

December 7

Clear and not so cold, tired, officers of infantry are very scared of an attack, had a few hours sleep, letter from Cleveland

December 8

Very muddy and raining, Fritz attacked, narrow escape, rotten officers, fired an SOS, no sleep and tired after attack, captured some Germans

December 9

Raining, tired and dirty, darkest night I ever saw

December 10

Carrying ammunition, voted for Union Government in a dugout, packed gun barrel and tuned it up, she fires great, gas attack tonight

December 11

Slept good today, cold again, heavy bombardment, on ration party, darkest of nights, two gun positions

December 12

Milder, carrying ammunition, trenches falling in, received a box from Alice

December 13

Muddy, received a box from Herb Perry, wrote letters, narrow escape from MG bullets and shrapnel

December 14

Not relieved tonight to go to support line in Red trench, not finished packing stuff to gun position until 2:00 a.m., carried gun tripod and ammunition, tired out, in good battle position

December 15

Cleaning up position, clear day, three letters, relieved tonight, carrying out the limbers, carried tripod a mile and half without stop, walked 8 miles to Carency over Vimy Ridge, 1:00 a.m. when arrived, as usual tired

December 16

Bath, packed limbers, good sleep, snowing, in cold barn, bed on some wire, fairly good sleep

December 17

Marched 17 kilos to Bougen near Houdain, snowing, received boxes from U.S.A. and one from Roy Fenwick

December 18

Gun cleaning and physical training, on guard tonight over stores, cold night, wrote letters in estaminet

December 19

Walked to Houdain tonight, bought present and few necessities, drill and cleaning up today, very cold with two inches of snow, good feed of eggs and chips

December 20

Drill and other work, wrote letters, cold weather, heard Union Government got in

December 21

Drill, down to Houdain to the cinema, good show, supper of eggs and chips

December 22

My birthday, twenty years old, wrote letters, cold weather

December 23

No work today, Chinese about our billets

December 24

Marched to Noulette Huts, 20 kilos, milder, to Bouvigney tonight, had eggs and chips, expect to go up to line tonight

December 25

Mild and muddy, didn't go up to line, stew for dinner, no work, tea for breakfast and supper, snow at night

December 26

Parades as usual, getting wood in afternoon, cold

December 27

Coy. supper tonight, had pork, vegetables and plum pudding, got to bed pretty early, got box from Grace Relph in Conn., U.S.A.

December 28

On aircraft guard all day and night, very cold, No. 1 on gun now, built position so we could have a fire

December 29

Relieved this morning at 9:00 a.m., squad drill and fatigues remainder of day

December 30

Bath near Forstend

December 31

Drill and fixing up huts we sleep in, some men coming back from Coy. who were wounded and gassed at Passchendaele, cold weather