Pvt Crawford & I go to Mont. St Eloy on a tour of inspection of trenches.
Enemy shell La Targette vigorously. Crawford & I are caught by it but lay flat in a trench. Ground shakes. Again @ night we get another salvo & our artillery return it. British troops capture 4,000 prisoners in 2 days around Somme, North of Ouere.
Monday 13 November 1916
Enemy shell La Targette & fragments fly all around the dugout. Enemy & our aeroplanes very active. We capture Beaumont-Hamel and St Pierre Divion but cannot hold Serre. Capture over 2,000 prisoners.
Menzies goes on leave to Eng. Enemy shell heavily all night.
*The Battle of the Ancre November 13th – 18th 1916 – This was the final large British attack in the Battle of the Somme before the start of the winter. After the success with the Battle of Flers–Courcelette, English and French troops felt it would be more beneficial to stage several small attacks rather than regroup. They attacked the Ancre Valley starting with a large mine detonation. Important targets were taken including, Beaumont Hamel, Beaucourt-sur-l’Ancre and St Pierre Divion. Despite these gains the human cost was great with 419,654 British and 202,567 French casualties, versus 465,181 German casualties.
Sunday 12 November 1916
Enemy busy with shelling the front line; we retaliate. No aeroplanes up, altho’ weather clear.
Staff Capt Colman arrives back from leave & Capt Wallis takes over from his ignorant brother the duties of Intelligence Officer.
Saturday 11 November 1916
The ignorant Wallis brothers come to see me. Am cold and repulsive to them, for they really are ignorant & useless. In the words of Lt Col Griesbach of the 49th Regt. “Damn bad staff work” in allusion to work on the Somme.
Friday 10 November 1916
Ill & in “bed” all day with exception that I make an urgent map for the General.
Miserable weather. Pts Stenhouse, Menzies & Wells go to hospital, 8th, 8th and 10th respectively.
Thursday 9 November 1916
Ill in my dugout all day.
Tuesday 7 November 1916 and Wednesday 8 November 1916
On morning of 8th I have a nervous breakdown & feel as if I am going mad. Get into open air and try to walk it off. Tis’ raining hard, my limbs stiffen & I lay down in a disused dugout in agony. My chums find me & want to send for a doctor but I refuse as army doctors know but little & care less. Very weak at night.
Sunday 5 November 1916 and Monday 6 November 1916
L/c White my assistant draughtsman arrives back from hospital. Enemy shelling the road where we walk on to dugouts. One shell bursts on opposite side of a wall where I take cover. Am covered in brick and chalk dust but escape with only a shock. Another bursts over my head higher up the road. Bullets are whizzing past in fine style.
Friday 3 November 1916 and Saturday 4 November 1916
Friday 3 November 1916 and Saturday 4 November 1916
Make trips around trenches to correct them. Go into lines of 9th Brigade.
Thursday 2 November 1916
Rain & high winds.
Little doing re shelling but Lieut. H Wallis exposes his utter ignorance of the duties of intelligence officer. The stubborn, ignoramus, argumentative, ignorant, pig. Young & silly. Inexperienced.
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