At work on map sketching in doctor’s apartment & afterwards in officer’s mess.
Pte. Leyman of Fort William comes over from the 8th Battn to see me.
Many bombs are dropped on Poperinghe.
A gas attack on front line.
Thursday 20 April 1916 – rain
Battn is relieved by 60th Battn Canadians in pouring rain & well-stirred mud. Plentiful supply of shells are falling. No. 3 & 4 take train outside Ypres for a place between Vlamertinghe & Poperinghe then march to D camp in long rubber boots on a bad road. Arrvd in camp at 5 am & slept till afternoon dog-tired.
Russians capture Trebizond.
*The Trebizond Campaign – After a series of naval and land operations beginning on February 5th 1916 Russian Troops were able to push the Ottomans away from the ancient port city of Trebizond. It was captured on the 15th of April 1916 as Ottoman troops abandoned the city during the night.
Sunday 16 April 1916 – fine
Busy sketching & forget all about Sunday. Enemy shell Poperinghe & Busseboom camp. Pt. Peart is wounded in eye when firing from parapet. My best chum.
A Zeppelin passes overhead making westward with much noise.
Thursday 13 April 1916
To Poperinghe in the morning for sketching supplies.
Do some sketching in afternoon in the hut by myself.
Friday 4 August 1916
Exploration of Stewart trench recently captured by Capt Stewart. Discover 4 enemy dugouts 15 feet deep, trench 5 feet deep & 3 to 3 1/2’ wide.
Leave Ypres for Poperinghe to take train for England as my bro’ Harry is undergoing a delicate operation in hospital at Liverpool.
Monday 3 April 1916 – fine and hot
Our brigade headquarters are shelled. One man killed & several wounded.
I get permission to go into Poperinghe. Make purchases & send photos to Harry. Brooches to Mrs Katie Draycot, Miss Southam, Rosary to Mrs Smith (& Crucifix), Crucifix to my aunt Louise.
English beer & stout forbidden to be sold in Belgium from tomorrow.
Thursday 30 March 1916 – frost and cold
At Busseboom near Poperinghe & quartered in hut. Fearful cold night as no door to hut and large cracks in floor. Very dirty.
Vivid memories of the Ypres Salient still haunt me. What a hell! Believe me.
I write letters to Betty, Harry always and Bro’ Charles in France.
A report to hand says on our right two lines of enemy trenches have been taken by Northumberland Fusiliers at St Eloi + Royal Fusiliers.
Monday 20 March 1916 – fine
My [rucksack?] is carried by transport wagon. I march with Coy. to Ouderdom near Poperinghe encamped in huts.
Many aeroplane fights.
Huns shell Dickebusch and Ypres all afternoon.
Bombs from German aeroplane drop near our huts.
No casualties.
*Poperinghe- One of only two towns in Belgium that was not under German occupation during WWI. It was used to billet troops just behind the front lines and as a safe area for hospitals.
Friday 7 January 1916
Left Thieushouck at 11am for Godewaersvelde. Here I had boots re-paired by a Veteran of 1870 who showed me his medal. Left Godewaersvelde for Eglise at 12 noon. One Kilometer outside Eglise I got into a motor lorry & travelled the 5 Kilometres into Poperinghe arr 2 PM. The town which I entered by way of Cassel Street or Rue de Cassel was bombarded last week & the evidence of such can be seen.
Market square is deserted by carts of any kind. The Huns centered their attack on this square. Bought souvenirs had dinner (2 eggs & chipped potatoes with Coffee) + departed. Walked by same route back to Thieushouck. In billets at 5:30 PM. The weather was very stormy a howling wind blowing on into Poperinghe. There were no Canadians at La Hewplace
* Godewaersvelde – A village nearing the Belgian border half way in-between Poperinghe and Hazebrouck. Today it is the sight of a military cemetery whose first burials were later in the war, around 1917.
*Franco-Prussian War – Also known as the war of 1870, this was a conflict between the French Empire and the North German confederation, led by the Kingdom of Prussia. The outcome of German success was the collapse of the French Empire and the German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine. The conflict was also successful in uniting the German states under Prussian King Wilhelm I. The political ramifications and changes in power balances after the Franco-Prussian War helped in part to cause the First World War.
