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Date: April 1917
Diary

Sunday, April 1st, 1917

revellie 5.30 Breakfast 6am companies went bombing I helped cook until 10am fine morning. 1 man 157th killed 2 wounded of 116th Batt. French civilian shot another dead 6.30Pm

Monday, April 2nd, 1917

revellie 6.30 Breakfast 7am morning helped cooks of B. Co until noon. afternoon military funeral of men killed day before. very cold & raw all day. got letter from May dated Feb 19/17. 1 from Davis gave it to R. Heath with address in

Tuesday, April 3rd, 1917

revellie 6.30 Breakfast 7am snowing soft & wet snow got letters 1 Louie 1 Mother 1 Annie dated March 14th wrote letter to Louie & send a silk card in it. heavy bombardments

Wednesday, April 4th, 1917

revellie 6.30 Breakfast 7am pretty fair morning lots of heavy guns & transports going up line areoplanes overhead nothing doing for me sent letter to Mother. Ex Sergt Kiltay told me Ardiel was paymaster at La Harve

Thursday, April 5th, 1917

revellie 6.30 Breakfast 7am fine & Sunshiney warm helped cooks B. Co all morning & Part of afternoon

Friday, April 6th, 1917

revellie 6.30 Breakfast 7am helped cooks B. Co very fine morning dinner 12.15 rained nearly all afternoon

Saturday, April 7th, 1917

revellie 6am Breakfast 6.30 started from Houdain bot near Mount St Eloi at 4Pm. saw James Burnett from London. great bombardment going on & lot of areoplanes overhead fair day

Sunday, April 8th, 1917

revellie 7am Breakfast 8am terrible Bombardment last night. lots of reserve here & lots coming in today Built new cookhouse for B. Co. Bivouacked 8 in a small place on ground. muddy & wet

Monday, April 9th, 1917

Arras Vimy Ridge terrible revellie 6.30 Breakfast 7am Rolled blankets & packed kits. ready to go to trenches. raining & very muddy. vimmy ridge such sights. shell holes & dead Germans & Canadians lots wounded first taste shrapnel

Tuesday, April 10th, 1917

lots shrapnel flying very stormy sleet & cold wind lots mud vimmy ridge taken early Monday morning quite a few casualties in 116th altogether

Wednesday, April 11th, 1917

Boys went up last night I was left back this trip lots of wet heavy snow mud & water looking after kits

Thursday, April 12th, 1917

revellie 6.30 Breakfast 7am mud & water up to knees although sun shining today guard on kits

Friday, April 13th, 1917

Fine day brought B. Co. packs & baggage back to small town very muddy

Saturday, April 14th, 1917

got parcels from Mother & Louie fine but cold on guard all day at old church Battalion Packs and Baggage Church shell shocked. but 2 crucifixes left on wall shells never touched them

Sunday, April 15th, 1917

revellie 7am Breakfast 7.30 guard on kits at Church very cold & wet. went off guard at 6Pm

Monday, April 16th, 1917

revellie 7am Breakfast 7.30am very fine day sun shining lovely. went on guard at Church 8am had a good wash & shave up there

Tuesday, April 17th, 1917

revellie 7am Breakfast 7.30am went on guard at old Church very cold windy & wet last night & today

Wednesday, April 18th, 1917

Revellie 7.30am Breakfast 8am went on guard at old Church. French buried a soldier in yard. very cold & wet morning borrowed one of our stretchers

Thursday, April 19th, 1917

Revellie 7.30 Breakfast 8am dull cool damp morning on guard at Church got letter from Mother dated March 19th got receipt registered letter from Louie with $5.00

Friday, April 20th, 1917

revellie 7.30 Breakfast 8am fine day. got parcel from May. wrote letter to Louie & card to May Mason

Saturday, April 21st, 1917

Revellie 5.30 Breakfast 6am on guard at Church got the right registered letter with $5.00 in it dull day

Sunday, April 22nd, 1917

revellie 7.30 Breakfast 8am on guard at Church fine morning. Church Service at 9am I could hear the band playing Hymns fine afternoon

Monday, April 23rd, 1917

revellie 6.30 Breakfast 7am huard at Church fine & cool morning

Tuesday, April 24th, 1917

revellie 7.30 Breakfast 8am guatf at Church. got off for a good bath & change of underclothes very fine day

Wednesday, April 25th, 1917

up night until 1.30 watching cooks fire fine cold day helped cooks Fritz sent five shells into our camp

Thursday, April 26th, 1917

revellie 6am Breakfast 6.30 dull day on fatigue & helped cooks all day. air battle got one of our observation balloons on fire

Friday, April 27th, 1917

revellie 6am Breakfast 6.30 very cool morning cleaned up & helped cooks

Saturday, April 28th, 1917

very fine day helped cooks all day. Sun shining fine started up line 7.45Pm sent daffodils in Mothers & Louies letter plucked on Vimy Ridge

Sunday, April 29th, 1917

Fine morning slept in tunnel last night sun warm. Up line got 7 letters in trenches 2 Louie 2 Mother 1 Annie 1 Aunt Annie 1 Mabel

Monday, April 30th, 1917

on Vimy Ridge fine morning slept in German dug out all night wrote letter to Mother & Louie. Batt went on a working party at 8.45Pm. I was left in dugout made oxo over Mays candle