War Diary Entry: 8th July 1916

An absolutely peaceful day around our head quarters, there was only one short burst of shelling lasting 5 minutes at 5pm. It blew a bit of the railway line onto our dugout. They shelled Hamel steadily most of the day putting 3 shells into the roof of the KOSBs but beyond breaking a beam little damage was done.

The 86^th Brigade relieved us during the afternoon. They did not take over our head quarters but are wisely having theirs just behind Mesnil. The relief was finished about 8.30pm and the whole brigade came back into the huts in Acheux Wood except the MG company which remains behind at Englebelmer. The mess and my bedroom are in a cottage in the village. Brand has been applied for to go as GSO2 of the Gds Divn. Brand , Perse and I got back here about 10pm in a car, the road was not shelled at all the whole way.

War Diary Entry: 28th June 1916

Last night’s wire cutting and raiding parties were not a great success anywhere. The Germans seem to have expected it as all the parties were fired upon, and so came back. At 3am this morning they put about 20 shells round our headquarters, one fell in the middle of the road and knocked out some gunners, we had no casualties in the brigade. Pouring with rain this morning, the trenches will be in a filthy state; it cleared up during the afternoon. Shelling went on as usual all day, it doesn’t sound very much from here as we only hear the big guns going over, but it is pretty noisy in the firing line. 

We have cleared away nearly all their wire in the front system of trenches. They do not reply very much.  The 15” guns and 190lb trench mortars have layed Beaumont Hamel and Beaucourt level with the ground, and the trenches round Thiepval are blotted out, but the trenches in front of us are not so badly damaged yet. Went onto a conference at the divn at midday, a car came and took Williams and myself in . Afterwards I went & saw the KOSBs & Borders in Acheux Wood & got back here about 2.30pm. Got a message from the divn at about 3pm to say that operations were postponed 48 hours (I believe because of the weather) so the attack does not start tomorrow. 

Went for a walk with Cookson after tea,  we went and watched one of the 15” guns firing, you can see the shell in flight for quite a long way; then we went on to have a drink with Gillon at his prisoners camp, between here and Foxeville. Just as we were getting back the Bosch put a few 5.9” shells into Englebelmer so we hung about outside til it was over.

War Diary Entry: 24th June 1916

The first day of the bombardment. Sent round about 9am to ask the gunners if the show had started, as everything was as quiet as possible. They were rather hurt. The guns got a little brisker this evening. They are only wire cutting today and the 12” and 15” guns are not firing. I walked into Acheux & back in the afternoon to see our two battns in the wood. I went out after dark and watched all the guns firing, you see the shells bursting along the line well past Albert. 

We were to have let off gas at 10pm but the wind dropped, the discharge was postponed an hour and a half and then cancelled althoether. It hung up work and rations going up, as one did not wat the wind to turn and gas everyone. The 4^th Divn on our left discharged their gas, and I believe it hung around in no man’s land all night, and gassed one of our own men. After this the Bosch shelled Mailly for the first time since we have been in the line killing 14 and wounding about 32 of the 4^th Divn (we have recently handed it over to them). 

We all moved our quarters into the deep dugout behind the office this evening, it goes down 24’ below ground and has 3 shell-breaking layers above the ground level; in spite of its 3 entrances it is very clammy down below, partly due to its being flooded out by the storm yesterday.

War Diary Entry: 23rd June 1916

87^th Brigade relieved the 88^th Brigade in the trenches, only 2 battns went up (the SWB & Inniskillings). They each have 3 coys in the line and one at Englebelmer. The other 2 battns are going to remain in the huts in Acheux Wood during the bombardment. 

A very heavy thunderstorm came on between 3.45 & 4.15pm during the relief which flooded some of the trenches. I went to a conference at Corps Hd Qrs at 4pm and then on up to Englebelmer about 6pm. 

All the inhabitants (those still there) were being cleared out. The old woman next door was leaving a lamb behind, so I had to buy it for 5 francs. A number of dogs and cats have been left behind.

War Diary Entry: 20th June 1916

Brigade parade 9am in training area to practice atack. Divn conference at Acheux at 5pm which bde MG officers and Trench mortar officers attended. Divn gas expert lectured all officers on bombing ground at 2.30pm. Going came to dinner. Told we should probably go up to the trenches on the 23rd & the bombardment start on 24th.

War Diary Entry: 13th June 1916

Divn conference at Acheux at 230. Still raining most of the time. More gunfire than usual going on at present. We have set 35 rat traps and caught 166 rats in 2 days.

War Diary Entry: 12th June 1916

Went round the trenches at 5.30am. The rain started again as soon as I got back about 9am. The trenches were extraordinarily dry considering. Welch came to lunch. Rode into Acheux in the afternoon. De Lisle went into Marieux for a Corps conference. I went in with him and took the car on to see Kelly at Gezincourt. He has turned the corner and is miles better.

Nicolls (De Lisle’s new ADC) came with me. We bought some papers in Doullens and picked De Lisle up on the way back. Heard this is not the Russians main push but that the real one starts tomorrow around Riga. They have no gun bigger than a 6” down south. Our attack has been put forward as French nervous about Verdun.

War Dairy Entry: 9th June, 1916

Met Monkhouse at 10am in the RA observation post on the high ground just behind Hamel & had a good view of all the ground round Beaucourt and the redoubt. Chamberlayne suddenly turned up at about midday, he is attached to the 36th Divn. Havent seen him for years. He stopped to lunch, Ellis also lunched. Rode in to tea at Acheux. Armytage was there from GHQ. Cameron Reed turned up to be attached to the KOSBs as chaplain in the place of Ritchie.

War Diary Entry: 2nd June 1916

Went round the right subsection of the trenches with Fisher at 5.20am. they are getting fairly respectable now. Brand returned to the Brigade after lunch and Fisher went back to the 92^nd Bde. He is a very good fellow. They shelled Acheux station again yesterday. Pierce came up from the trenches and lunched.

War Diary Entry: 31st May 1916

Started off with Fisher round the trenches at 545am.we went round the left sub-sector (SWB trenches), Micklejohn returned off leave a day early. Welch went round the trenches then came into lunch on the way back to discuss matters. They have been shelling Acheux rly station all yesterday and Monday, but not today. The gun is firing at 15000 yds, extreme range, and they have the huge chimney just this side of it to aim at. I suggested they should pull the chimney down and put up a camouflage one 400 yds to the right or left. Ellis went off on leave till the 6^th.

War Diary Entry: 29th May 1916

Fisher and I went round the Inniskillings lines at 5.45am and got back about 9am. De Lisle turned up about 1030am with information about future operations. The Germans shelled Acheux Station all the morning doing practically no damage. I hear this is quite a new departure shelling as far back as this. Both the SWBs and the Inniskillings say they have detected mining under their lines, but if true, it must be a long mine.

War Dairy Entry: 27th May 1916

Rode up to Englebelmer in the morning to see Cayley about taking over the trenches tomorrow. Went to see the KOSBs in Mailly Wood on the way back, then to the SWBs in Acheux Wood, then on to the breaking up show of the divn school at Acheux Chateau, and back here to lunch. Pierce and Brand got back off leave today. Pierce having just lost his wife & looking very old & cut up.

War Diary Entry: 23rd May 1916

Borrowed a car from the Divn, and started off at 9am with Handress Lloyd and Cookson (who has just returned from being attached to the divn staff) for Amiens. We called in at Naouns on the way to see if Headlam would come with us, but he was too busy.

In Amiens we inspected the result of the bombs dropped there 3 nights ago, there were only about 3, no damage done except 1 woman killed and some broken glass. We then went and looked over the camouflage; there was very little to see there this time as most of their imitation trees, guns, etc had recently been sent up to the front. While we were there in walked Bobbie Black ( the doctor at Kassala)and also Gordon, both from the Sudan.

Lunched at the Café Godbert. Bought some cherries and potatoes( strawberries all sold out). Motored back in time for the Divn conference at Acheux at 4pm. Afterwards I rode round through Acheux Wood to see the SWB.