At 4 am I am awakened to take 2Lt Fraser-Luckie (Intelligence Officer) to the front line trenches, observation post, etc. we go via Zillebeke Bend & North Shore Road, thro’ Zillebeke & Zillebeke St, Valley Cottages, Maple Copse, Paynesly avenue, past open country to Vigo St in Sanctuary Wood. See many corpses which have lain unburied since June 2nd tis’ hard to discern & identify Vigo Street and Davidson St. We enter top end of Vigo St. & continue to Winnipeg St which we pass along to Tor Top at end of which we observe the enemy country.
Mr Luckie & another officer making notes. We return via Fort St, Vine St, [Dormy?] house, Tuileries, across country (observed from Hill 60), thro’ Promenade Ctr, Zillebeke Bend, Pathways to Ypres & Bde Hqrs. Time 3 ½ hours away. 2Lt Luckie tenders thanks for interesting trip.
The last Canadians depart from Ramparts (signalling). I am the only one left. In evening I have long chat with the Brigade Major Prideaux of the English 11th Brigade. Kurt Vandenberg of PP’s calls for plans of new dugouts. He can wait! General orders.
Sunday 16 July 1916 – fair, rain at night
Left Ypres for front line with Cpl Richardson D.R. who was out for adventure. Made a tour from Ramparts along China Wall, Halfway-House, Yeomanry-Post –(along this route there were scores of disbanded Ross Rifles) – Maple Copse, Maple Lodge, Dormy House (around which flying bullets came thick & fast) to Zillebeke along the Lake (at the Bund a shrapnel shell burst overhead killing the sentry there) along open country to Lille Road. Arr: Ramparts @ 12 am.
*Ross Rifle – By July of 1916 Sir Douglas Haig, newly appointed Commander in Chief of the BEF had ordered the replacement of all Ross rifles with Lee-Enfield rifles. The Ross rifles had been problematic for Canadian troops as they performed poorly in trench warfare. They were easily clogged up with mud and dirt rendering them useless. Lee-Enfield rifles were much more dependable in the dirty muddy conditions.
Monday 5 June 1916 – fine
Feeling very weak but still carry on making maps for the 6th brigade. Meet Fryer (Lieut) of Ft. Wm. [Ft. William] of 52nd leading a party of stretcher bearers going to Zillibeke (6:30 PM). Our artillery are in full blast all night.
Wednesday 31 May 1916
Draughting up till 2 PM then off to trenches & viewing. Have a very narrow shave at Zillebeke near Tuileries, shell (shrapnel) bursts over me. Again at Hell Fire Corner the enemy fire 4 shells at a stretcher bearer party who were carrying wounded men out. Two killed, 4 wounded. Sketch Hooge & vicinity. Afterwards to Regent, Cork, Grafton Sts. & Forrester lane.
Enemy shell those trenches vigorously with H.E. doing great damage. Enemy shell Ypres with 10.5 inch.
Sunday 14 May 1916
Left Ouderdom for trenches in afternoon. Have very bad cold & lose speech during evening. Call at Zillebeke & leave part of my trappings there. Go to trench 61, bay 2 & make panorama sketches of German trenches & lines.
The sketch takes one & half hours & all time exposed to enemy snipers.
Enemy throwing over very big shells in Sanctuary Wood. Two of No 4 Co badly hit with enemy shell, trenches firing with heavy stuff. I go along C.M.R. trenches & am stopped many times for “Spying.”
Saturday 13 May 1916
Enemy shell Zillebeke & artillery of ours.
Wednesday 10 May 1916 – fine
Left Ouderdom for trenches @ 9:30 am alone with maps & plans of trenches.
Went along front firing lines & made sketches. Much sniping & artillery action. One of CMR’s has both legs & an arm shattered by shell fire.
To Voormezele & inspect the graves of PPCLI. In sorry condition, many shell holes.
Stayed all night at Zillebeke. Much shelling by enemy.
Friday 5 May 1916
Hun aeroplane flys overhead when L/c Macqueen & I are in trenches. The Maltese cross easily discernable.
The 42nd & 49 scared to open up with maxims for fear of exposing their positions – ROTTEN!!
Thousands of rats in our dugout at Zillebeke. One horse & one man struck by bullets.
*Maltese Cross- What Draycott actually saw was the Iron cross, a symbol very similar to the Maltese cross but with a slight variation in shape. The Iron cross was originally the symbol for the Teutonic Knights starting in the early 11th century but later became a German military symbol from 1871 to 1918. In 1918 nearing the end of the war it was changed to another similar symbol the Bar Cross. See an example of the Iron cross below.
Monday 1 May 1916
Up at 7 & walk thro’ Zillebeke with Mackenzie.
Wednesday 29 March 1916
I went way down the communications trench to Zillebeke. A most horrid storm arises, the wind howls thro’ the much battered woods (Sanctuary Wood) accompanied by snow, hail, sleet & rain. The night was tempestuous & the elements vied with cannon to make the loudest frightfulness. Hideous in the extreme. I lose my steel helmet so have to trek 5 miles without it, snow & hail mix with my hair, frightfully cold. I fall into many mud holes, shell holes and disused trenches. Am covered from head to feet with mud of all colours & reeking with the stench.
We pass through Zillebeke after taking 3 hours to travel a mile. The 43rd were in the Common trench with full pack on same as us. Difficult to pass each other. Rotten bad management. Passed along Menin road and thro’ Ypres at 3 am & took train outside.
*Brodie Helmet – Also called Steel or Mark I Helmet was the first steel helmet worn by British, Canadian and American troops during the First World War. The use of artillery shells resulted in increased head wounds and made steel helmets a necessity. Their bowl shape with wide brim allowed for protection from Artillery bursting from above the trenches. The Brodie Helmet was used by Canadian forces into the beginning of the Second World War when it was replaced with a modified version.
