FRED’S DIARY 1916[This section contains extracts from Fred’s diary and some notes by myself in square brackets. The diary runs from the 1st of January 1916 to 23rd of March. There are three later entries and a postscript written in the back of the diary. The first four are full extracts of the entire day’s entry to give a feel for the diary, later ones are mainly quotes taken from the day’s entry though as the diary goes on it gets briefer so the final ones are again full day entries.]
Saturday January 1
Sailey au bois
Day opened very windy + much rain. Went + drew rations at Mareaux at 8.30 am got back 4pm. 4.10pm Sailly heavily bombarded by Germans no casualties. 8pm heavy storm. Just writing a letter to Ciss. No letter from Ciss. 10pm still very heavy gale blowing. Sitting in the office wishing the Major to go. 10.30pm bed.
Saturday January 2
Fine in the morning but turned to rain later.
Got up 7am fine morning.
8.30 am proceeded to Mareaux to draw provisions. 4pm arrived back 4 letters to read rather a nuisance to answer. 6.30pm Went + had drink. Arrived back 8.30. Cost 5 Francs for nothing. 8.30pm just going to desk to write a letter. 9.20pm all safe just going to write a letter. John had a cabbage in his mouth. 10pm bed.
[From Fred's writing it is obvious he got drunk on this evening, probably in an bar(the locals often set them up in their houses). I don't know who John was, perhaps it was John Forbes who served with him in Sierra Leone and elsewhere.]
Friday January 7
Raining. 6am still stormy and windy. 9.30 our battery opened fire on Germans in conjunction with 114 + 48 Heavy Batty we are bombarding them very heavily. 12 noon finished. 1.30 114 + 48 Heavy Batty bombarding Germans. 2pm finished. All quiet for the remainder of day. 3pm heavy firing going on. 10pm quiet bed.
Monday January 17
Bright morning
Heavy firing going on 5am.
8am 40 British + French aeroplanes bombarded a large town on our right not yet heard result. 10am all planes returned safely. 10.20 German aeroplane over our guns driven off by antiaircraft guns. 10.30 2 shrapnel shells fell + burst over our battery no casualties or damage. 11am Heavy firing still continues all over. 2 British planes over German lines dropping bombs. 2pm Field guns opened fire and our battery fired 17 rounds on Germans. 3pm all quiet raining + misty. 9pm our field arty bombarding German trenches. Heavy fire all night. 10pm went to bed.
Wednesday 19 January
12 months today I was bombed at Great Yarmouth by Zeppelins.
[19 Jan 1915 L4 bombed Great Yarmouth killing 2 while Zeppelin L3 managed to kill 2 in King's Lynn in the first air-raid on Britain.]
Saturday 22 January
2.30[pm] the whole of Divisional Arty bombarded the Germans viewed it from front line trenches.
[The 48th Divisional Commander of Artillery tells us where the Forward Observation Officer for the artillery was based for the raid of the 29/30 January and I bet the place Fred watched the bombardment on the 22 of January was the same place. I found a pillbox on the spot and a howitzer shell case: see the picture to the right.]
Tuesday 25 January
The Germans bombarded our trenches killed 2 + wounded 5 men + took away a Lewis gun + several rifles (90) Warwick Regt all supposed to be asleep.
[Looks like the 90th Warwick Brigade were caught unawares. This shows the Germans did trench raids as well.]
Wednesday 26 January
Just read in the paper that the Air raid was over Dover.
[This air raid happened on the 23rd of January.]
Thursday 27 January
At 7.15 we were warned of a Gas attack we put our smoke helmets on at 7.30am we heavily bombarded the Germans.
[Fred’s health was ruined by gas.In a letter dated 1921 Fred's mum Lucy writes to her daughter Ethel: "Fred has been bad on his chest again. Since he was gassed in France, if he gets a cold it always flys to his lungs, but he is much better today. He is still at work".]
Saturday 29 January
Just been warned the Warwick Regt are going to attack Germans tonight with bombs expect attack to be all over by 12 or 1 am. To bed at 10.15pm all quiet.
Sunday 30 January
The Warwicks got through but owing to the thick fog could not do anything they all came back no casualties.
[The raid was due to start at 3am and was partially in retaliation to the 25 January German raid and partially to capture some of the German gas equipment. The 143rd Brigade in fact did not set out, but the 144th Brigade (4th and 6th Gloucesters and 7th and 8th Warwicks) and the 145th (5th Gloucesters, 4th Oxford & Bucks, 1st Light Bucks Infantry and 4th Royal Berks) did raid.]
Wednesday 2 February
Heard the result of last night’s work the Gloucs Detachment got into the German front line trenches and found it heavily held they bombed the Germans + we had 1 officer + 3 men wounded the remainder got back safely.
[1/6th Glouc Regt Diary records a raid by 2nd Lt Rugman and 10 NCOs and men.]
Wednesday 16 February
Just heard of the loss of the Arthusa at sea.
[Sunk by a German mines near where Fred was stationed at Languard Fort the loss of this 3,700 ton ship involved the loss of ten men.]
Thursday 24 February
Going to hear the RA band play at Courcelles.
Thursday 9 March
11.15 German Aeroplane came of + dropped a Bomb killing a Woman + an artillery man + wounded 3 soldiers.
Thursday 23 March
Our infantry Territorials went across the German trenches and bombed them out. Casualties very slight we have captured some Germans.
[The Daily Graphic only claims one prisoner captured.]
Sunday 9 April
Br Williams, Gr Atkinson and Bugeon very seriously wounded by Germans 5.9 shell bursting near their billet.
Saturday 27 May
Germans heavily bombarded us had a very narrow escape from German shell.
Sunday 28 May
11pm Germans got up to our trenches and tried to Bomb infantry but failed we heavily bombarded them.
[Pages from the 18th December to the Memoranda are missing.]
Memoranda pages
…the whole of the battery.
7th March 1916 12 NCOs + men arrived from Left Half Battery to dig in new Gun Pits. 8th March 40 NCOs + men of the West Yorkshire Regt. Arrived to assist our battery to dig emplacements.
11th March Major E.C. le Pilley handed over the battery to Capt Forbes. Major promoted to Lt Col.
28th March German Aeroplane dropped about 30 yards from my tent 2 bombs pieces fell over my tent.
20th May No 1 Gun Emplacement finished + gun ready for Action.
24th June Bombardment started.
[All the above references to March should read April. All this work was for the artillery barrage that preceded the start of the Battle of the Somme on the 1st of July.]
