All the notebooks were written on the right hand page and additions, photos, cartoons or other documents were added to the left hand page.
1st Oct. 1916. I went over to Corps H.Q. at Long & lunched with Green. We left for the north by train at 5 p.m.
2nd 0ct. 1916. We reached our destination about midnight. A Zeppelin was reported about and the lights were lowered. After having tea we moved on to Les Lobes. I found the Mess personnel standing outside an estaminet. The Billeting Officer stated it was the only possible Mess and the owner refused to let us use a room. I went in and found two large rooms either of which would have done excellently, she remained adamant both rooms were required for her trade with the soldiers. She would not even permit breakfast to be cooked while we looked round. I informed her that as her rooms were so precious I would take care that no soldiers went in and placed a sentry on the door. As they sell beer costing 2d for 5d this did not please her. She complained my action had lost her much money but Area Commandant took no notice, the other estaminet profited.
On the opposite page is a sheet of newspaper, “Daily Sketch, Blinded Hero weds V.C. General’s Daughter”
I found a more complaisant Estaminet owner down the road and later on moved a Gunner 2nd Lt. who was monopolising a house to his own cheek another Gunner 2nd Lt. was doing the same further down the road and it was suggested that they might join forces – Instead the evicted Gunner moved in the opposite direction somewhere.
3rd Oct. 1916. A pouring day. I rode up to the farm in Support H.Q.
4th Oct 1916 I rode round in search of our new transport lines and examined King’s road. Put in an application for leave.
On the opposite page are two Message and Signals forms saying:-
First. I strongly recommend Major/temp Lt. Col. Allason for Cmd of Bde.
To his energy & initiative in the Comding of his Batt ***** attitude the capture of F. Farm by the Bde under my Comd on the 4th ult. I am confident he wd make an excellent Bde Comdr. MT 22.9.16.
The second. Recommendation of Major (Temp Lt. Col) W Allason D.S.O. 1 Beds for Comd of an Inf. Bde. ***** ***** for judging capacities for higher Comd. He has commanded his Batt since 15 July 1915. During this period I have noticed that this Batt has improved all round in a v marked degree. My personal ***** with him dates from last July. Special **** for higher command & any occasions (during operations) on which they have been particularly *******.
5th Oct. 1916. Granted leave at 2 a.m. Left siding at 7.30 a.m. and was in London by 9 p.m.
14th Oct. 1916. The crossing to Boulogne was rough & windy. One of the nurses on board was very ill, “she attempted to feed the fishes to windward.” They missed their meal. On the left side of the next page is written In the railway carriage on the way up from Boulogne was an R.E. Major, in conversation it came out that he was the identical R.E. Officer on Hill 60 whose name I did not know and whom I had only seen in the dark.
I entrained about 9.30 p.m. and reached
15th Oct. 1916. Bethune about 3 a.m., the mess cart was waiting & took me to our transport lines where I had breakfast and saw Beale & Williams who were just off on leave. I also heard we were to make a raid.
On the opposite page is a sketch map of the area.
After breakfast I went into the trenches “Rue de Bois left” they were sandbagged parapets, very wet in places and requiring much repair. There was only one practicable communication trench to the front in the sector namely “Pioneer” and the last 800 yds half the body showed over the parapet. The O.B.L. was in a poor state of repair but fairly dry “Richmond” was ditto, “Cover” was very wet and with no shelters for the men. It did not go through to “Shetland.” There was practically no wire in front, the posts 14 to 32 were sandbagged parapets holding half a dozen men by night and observation posts by day. “Shetland” was impassable.
The most pressing work was to improve Pioneer Shetland and Cover and put out wire also to build shelters for Officers & men.
Sniping posts had to be built and a defence system organised.
We were to be four days in the line and four days in support alternating with the 16th Warwicks. I made a point of going round once by day and once by night. It took 3½ hrs. the 2nd in Command & the Adj went round at intermediate times. We had constant visitors in the shape of Gunners, Bde & Divisional Staff, Engineers, and oddments like heavy & light trench mortar, machine gunners & Pioneers, while many reports had to be sent in so life was not dull even tho’ the enemy were quiet.
16th Oct. 1916. We moved out in the afternoon two Coys proceeding to King’s road to and H.Q. and two Coys to a large farm near Lacouture. Here there was a
19th Oct. 1916. large barn which served as Recreation room and for training on wet days. I turned on the Pioneers to build out two rooms for Sgts & Cpls Messes made windows and got the Canteen going. Stables & a drying shed were also built and a considerable amount of road making done. The field drains were cleared out to get rid of the surface water and 30 yard ranges were built.
All the men were by degrees passed through bombing and Lewis gun classes and musketry competitions were started.
Classes for N.C.O’s in the making continued. Every man had a hot bath and a change of linen each time we came out of the trenches. Hot irons were kept going and lice were unknown.
Papers & magazines were collected and placed in the recreation room where a concert was got up once a week. In their billets the men had wire netting stretched on frames for beds. A recreation room was also got going in King’s road.
On the opposite page is a Bairnsfather cartoon.
20th Oct. 1916. We went into the trenches on the 20th and found very little progress to had been made by the Warwicks. This was the more surprising since we had been
23 Oct. 1916. sending up working parties while we were “resting.”
These men, after four strenuous days in the trenches, naturally did not put in their best work. It took them two hours to get to their work and the same to get back, probably wet through. Although we were very short of men it was arranged to detail 25 for permanent R.E. fatigue, these men lived with the R.E. & were not available for trench work but the compromise released us from further working parties at night while resting, the R.E. contenting themselves with 25 fresh men instead of calling for 100 who would be waiting for something to do most of the time.
On the opposite page is a Bairnsfather cartoon The Intelligence Department. Underneath is written Typical scene in trenches.
24th to 27th Oct. 1916. We were diligently preparing for the raid during this period. Out of two Coys 80 men were selected and exercised in four sections each under an Officer. The German trenches were marked out to scale on the ground behind our lines and every possible contingency practiced. Airplane photos were clear but not sufficiently so to show how far the German trenches were passable.
28th to 31st Oct. On returning to the trenches the raiding party was kept in reserve but every group went out into “No man’s land” by night to gain an idea as to the lie of the ground. Lewis gun patrols were also constantly out in front on the look out for German wiring parties.
Much work had to be done preparing shelters for the “hate” which was sure to follow and the last section of “Shetland” communication trench was completed.
Raid. To raise the morale orders were given for faces to be blacked, this caused much amusement and was useful later on. The leading N.C.O. of each group of four men was provided with a torch attached to his rifle in such a fashion that it could be switched on and the rifle fired immediately afterwards. This proved useful in enabling groups meeting to immediately recognise one another by their black faces. A watchword was also agreed on for the time when retirement would be necessary, the word “retire” being banned for obvious reasons. Entry was to be effected at two points and two Bangalore torpedo detachments of R.E. were attached to cut the wire in the event of its being very thick. It was found that the cartridge for firing these required considerable adjustment before it would go off.
Just after dark the parties set out and soon a flash from an electric torch indicated that the left party had got in.
On the right there was considerable opposition much bomb throwing and a German machine gun came into action. The advanced wire cutting group found the wire very thick and four of the five were hit, the fifth managed to get through further to the left and was followed by the leading section who got their Lewis gun into action on the German parapet, they joined up with the left party and three prisoners were sent back. The Germans happened to be relieving that night so double the usual number were in the trenches. They outflanked our men a Stokes bomb was thrown into a German machine gun emplacement and the evacuation was ordered.
Two Lewis guns in No man’s land covered this and the signal was made for our guns & trench mortars to open fire, the Germans retaliated on our trenches and dropped a big ‘Minnie’ into Shetland road making a hole about 36 feet in diameter.
