War Dairy Entry: July 31st 1916

Borrowed a car from the ASC and started off for LA Panne at 1130am with Gillon. We passed through Furnes, which has a very nice old market square and Hotel de ville. The NE end of the town has been shelled a bit but not much damaged. The Belgian army are all over this area, and are smarter than I expected. On arrival at La Panne we stopped at a house to ask the sentry the way to the British Mission (Military with Belgian Army). The house turned out to be King Albert’s, and he was there at the time. O’ Connor is with the mission and we intended to have lunch with him but Prince Algernon of Teck who is head of the mission met us at the door and asked us to lunch. O’Connor turned up later. We had a very good lunch, and borrowed their bathing kit afterwards and bathed. All along the cost there are wire entanglements along the sand and machine gun emplacements just behind, which form the defences. O’Connor showed us round the town. We started back about 3.30pm ,  we wanted to go through Dunkirk but were told we should be stopped without proper passes, so we went back through Furnes. Outside Furnes we were stopped by a sentry, and as we had not got a pass to travel in the Belgian area, he would not let us go through the town but made us take a detour round the E side. However we took a wrong turning and some found ourselves going through the square again.

The 88^th Brigade took over the right sector of the divn line last nigh.

The SWB and KOSB moved up into Ypres this evening , the SWB relieving a battn of the 71^st on the canal bank and the KOSB, a battn Ypres prison and surrounding cellars.

Letter to Mother: July 29th 1916

My dear Mother

Everything very peaceful at the moment you can hardly hear the guns; the flat country looks quite nice with all the hop fields, poplars and ripe crops, and one can almost smell the sea.

Lord Cavan came to look me up yesterday morning which was very nice of him. I also got a message from Percy saying that he and a pal of mine were quite handy and would I come in for a meal, so I rode over to lunch yesterday. He was looking very well indeed, and had entirely lost that tired War Office look. I also found that his Corps commander was an old friend who looked after us earlier in the war, and the other brigadier there was a man I knew, so I had quite a pleasant lunch. I put my horse up in Percy’s stable and his groom took a keen interest in me as a brother of Johns. Several other friends have looked in at odd times.

When we go into the trenches we have got he best hd qrs in Europe, absolutely safe, tiled floors, electric light and all modern conveniences.

No leave going at present, but it must open again soon.

Very good news from the Russians again today, the Belgians have completed their 567^th? Day of intense bombardment so I expect the trenches in front of them are nearly fit to attack.

The peas and beans arrived today. The peas are in excellent condition, some of the beanslooked a little bruised and were turning brown, but will probably be excellent, we are having them tonight.

I got an awfully nice letter from Uncle Fred last night, I feel very sorry for him.

I hope you will be amenable to discipline and remain in bed as along as you are ordered, so that you will be up and about and quite well again when I come home on leave. Is Peggy allowed to do everything again now?

All parcels are arriving regularly. Best of love to you all

Yr loving son

Cuthbert