Walter Draycott’s Great War Chronicle
North Vancouver Museum & Archives
My pass for Ashford and Canterbury is not granted. Reason given am attached still to Headquarters.
Left Shorncliffe for Ashford at [3] pm.
To the Harmon family and had tea. With Miss Lawrence (Jessie) and William Harmon.
To post office at 8 and stayed till – 9 pm. Chatting with the girls
Put in a pass for Ashford to fetch kit back.
Wrote letters in morning.
Went for walk with Private Master and got back at 8:30 pm.
Worked up till 2 pm when an order came to pack up and rejoin my unit the Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry. I refused to transfer into the Canadian Ordnance Corps but did not mind being attached.
Left Ashford at 5:56; train to Shorncliffe arrived at 7 pm. Quite a change.
Escorted Miss Challis home from C of E Soldier’s Club.
Making a table for the ordnance office. Pleasant work.
L/c Vivian turns up after absence of 4 days.
Vivian is reported absent from Monday morning. I commence searching investigation
Result is I give information to the police in Ashford.
In afternoon I write letters
Ernest Draycot writes from Chester on his holidays. Intends visiting Draycot in Moores and Leicester
L/c Vivian does not show up all day
Gave Vancouver papers to Soldier Club
To cinema house in evening by self unaccompanied.
Zeppelin over Shorncliffe and Folkestone.
*German Airship Raids – August 1915 saw a renewed effort in German airship raids on England. On August 9th and 10th four Zeppelins were sent to bomb London, none however were able to reach the intended target and one airship was taken down by British defences.
To Parish Church in the morning at 10:30 am
After for a walk with Mr. Standing a member of the choir.
[L/c] Vivian has not been in since tea yesterday – anxious
To Parish Church in evening by myself
To work at 8 am till 12 noon. Go by train to Shorncliffe at 3 pm. Visit Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry camp. Return to Ashford at 8:35 pm. Am suffering with terrible headache and hayfever. Officer Commanding of the Canadian Ordnance Corps wishes me to transfer into Canadian Ordnance Corps.
To work at Canadian Ordnance Corps making fixtures.
Sent cap badge to Mrs E.S. Seares of Thurnby Vicarage Leicester.
Working at Canadian Ordnance Corps.
Warsaw taken by the Germans. Russians evacuated it and only destroyed the 3 bridges over the Vistula. Lublin in Poland taken by the Austrians
*The Great Retreat – The buildup of forces from the Central Powers on the eastern front was very effective at pushing the Russian’s back during the summer of 1915. Germans started their offensive in June of 1915 and gained ground in Poland through must of June and July of that year. On August 4th /5th German troops took Warsaw and Russian troops quickly retreated further east. This retreat caused Tsar Nicholas II to dismiss Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich as leader of the war effort and to take control of the military directly.
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