A cold wet and miserable morning. And still raining. Our rifles are clogged up with mud. Get to work to make an improvised shelter. We have been in the open trench two days two nights no shelter. At 9 am the Germans shell us with heavy guns. The Huns commence again with trench mortars and we reply. Some note paper comes to me when rations arrive from Headquarters. Welcome. I’ve none. We are on Bully Beef and biscuits. I make some cocoa by putting some fat in a can with a piece of rag, then light it placing the canteen over it. Our hard biscuits are covered with mud, therefore – gritty. Rats!!! Lots of them. The fellows are wallowing in mud and have not the heart to amend difficulties. 3 pm the Huns are still busy shelling and bombing us. The King’s Royal Rifles have lost heavily. Commences to rain heavily at 5 pm and kept up all night. We “stand to” in full marching kit from 5 to 7 pm. Orders come up for us to be relieved at 8 pm but the relief does not appear till 9:30 pm. Commence march thro’ narrow trenches wet, muddy and slippery and raining hard. We are soaked to the skin. We go down the road slipping and sliding all over the place. A more weary tired and miserable lot of men could not be found. We pass thro’ “Eclusier” to Cappy where we stay in billets for the night. A ration of 2 oz of rum is given to the men and we retire to rest at 12:30 midnight.
Tuesday 28 September 1915
I’m on sentry at 12 to 1 pm. Lots of sniping. It rains during the afternoon and all night. About 6 pm the Germans give us a shower of bombs and we reply with our trench mortars. ‘Tis raining hard. A regular battle is raging. We are wet and covered all over in wet slimy mud. Rifle choked. The engagement dies down. I am on sentry with Private Dermot at 2:54 am. Snipers very busy and accurate. I go along ammunition trench about a mile long – alone – to report message to Headquarters.
*Ross Rifle – The Ross Rifle was a bolt-action rifle produced in Canada and used by Canadian troops during WWI. Before the war the Ross Rifle was highly successful in target shooting. However it was poorly suited for trench warfare as it was easily jammed by mud and dirt. Many Canadian troops preferred the Lee Enfield rifle that was becoming standard across the British Empire, often taking the rifles from British casualties. In July of 1916 the replacement of all Ross rifles with Lee Enfields was ordered, though some snipers continued to use the Ross rifle due to its exceptional accuracy at long ranges.
