Handwritten transcript of diaries of Apcar Leslie De Vine, 1 January 1915 - 6 October 1918, Part 22 of 26
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ice to our outpost & find out what has happened
also to let them know that we are lying in front
of them, waiting to get a moove on again. Later
it was descided to abandone the raid for tonight
as apparently a few Germans have managed to pass
our outposts, and are now behind them, probably
lost between the outposts & Coy Hdqrs, so we have to
content ourselves with searching the country at the
rear of our posts. We could not find anybody
although we thoroughly searched untill daylight
They must have got back to their posts along a sunken
road running through our lines & separating us from
the 2nd Brigade sector. The password was Manly
5/1/18 Out on patrol at night, nothing doing, very
cold & frosty all day. PW. Manly
6/1/18 Sunday Patrol at night, the raiding party
has now been turned into a permanent patrol
It is terribly cold on patrol compensated only by a good
tok of rum on our return & exemption from all other
duties next day. PW. Bondi
7/1/18 Patrol at night. Thawing all day, making the
ground very muddy. Patrols now dress in brown water
proof one piece overalls fastening up behind. Keeping
us quite clean & dry underneath. The weather still
remains very cold. PW. Wallaby
8/1/18 No patrol tonight. Heavy fall of snow during the
day, white suits again issued for next patrol, very
cold & freezing hard
9/1/18 Freezing hard all day, during evening it began to
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thaw, dressed in white overalls for patrol as usuall
by the time we reached our outposts, nearly all the
snow had melted, so it was considered too risky
to patrol in white. patrol abandoned for tonight
10/1/18 Rained during the day, everywhere now is
a sea of mud, no patrol tonight
11/1/18 Patrol abandoned because of the exceptionally
dense darkness, absolutely no moon tonight, or any
stars to be seen
12/1/18 Very muddy day, raiders broken up &
returned to our companies during the evening
reported to Coy at 11pm & detailed to a listening
post between Nos 2 & 3 posts, terribly cold during
the night
13/1/18 Sunday On outpost all day & listening post
at night, extremely cold, the water in the shell
holes are begining to freeze again, early in the
night it rained heavily, we are all feeling the
strain of exposure to the cold & wet
14/1/18 On outpost all day, heavy fall of snow during the
morning, terribly cold, we are relieved by D Coy at
6.30pm & left for the support lines
15/1/18 In strong point of supports all day where we
are relieved by the 5th Bn in the evening & marched
through an ocean of mud & torrents of rain to Scots
Farm. raining heavily all day, the ground is in an awfull
state. When we arrived at Scots Farm we found the
dugouts full of water so we had to sit up all night
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in the water, wet through & terribly cold
16/1/18 Marched to the Divisional baths at Kemmel
for a good bath & change of clothes, we have been wet
through for three days, during our absence our camp
had been condemned & we had to pack up on returning
& marched to Lindenhock Camp near Kemmel where
we are again billeted in our old huts
17/1/18 Raining heavily all day, no parades
18/1/18 All the Coy detailed for a fatigue party in the
support line during the day.
19/1/18 On fatigue 4.30am to dig a strong point 1½ miles
behind the line, returned to camp 2pm, not
raining today, ground very soft & muddy
20/1/18 Sunday No parade today, all coy on fatigue party
21/1/18 Went to the support line held by the 2nd Bn
to arrange for Coy to take over its section when we
relieve them, detailed with a party in the evening
for wiring behind the strong post in front of Messines
Ridge, returning to camp at 10.30pm. Roads are very
muddy & thoroughly broken up by heavy shell fire &
are now filled with water, the whole county has
been heavily shelled & is in an absolute liquid condition
22/1/18 Under orders to relieve the 2nd Bn in supports
Left camp 4.30pm arriving at supports 6.30pm. we
will probably occupy the "pill boxes" here for four
days, very muddy here
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23/1/18 Remained inside "pill box" all day out of
observation
24/1/18 In bed all day, on fatigues all night with the
engineers building strong posts in the front line
25/1/18 Fatigues all night to the front line
building strong posts & dugouts, all the front line is
being very much strengthened, ready for the big
spring offensive which we are expecting the Germans
to make when the weather becomes more settled
26/1/18 Left our "pill box" at 4.30pm to proceed
to the front line. However we relieved D Coy
in the support line, we will probably go to
the front line outposts tomorrow to finish
our divisional time
27/1/18 Sunday Detailed for patrol tonight so
did no leave for the front line when Coy left
Patrol 12am to2am, we met with no opposition
everything very quiet & very muddy PWord Wagga
28/1/18 Moved up to the line tonight, taking over
No 6 outpost form B coy, very cold & frosty during
the night PWord Salmon
29/1/18 On outpost all day, night very cold and
freezing hard, the nights are now very long
and we have to "Stand too" for 14 hours PWord Minor
30/1/18 Relieved tonight by the 54 Bn at 6.30pm
& marched with our packs to Wolvergheim Camp
where we remained for the night
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31/1/18 Detailed with 100 other men to remain
behind as a working party under Capt Cook for
14 days, the remainder of the Bn caught motor
buses for Merris where they are to have a rest, the
fatigue party marched out of this camp at 12 noon
to another camp at Gable Farm near the
Wolvergheim baths, had a bath & change during
the afternoon, our strength is 108 with officers
and NCOs
1/12/18 Detailed as Coy S M & Q M to the fatigue
Coy, no work today
2/2/18 No work today, we draw our rations from
the Lindenhock Dump at Daylight Corner, no
orders have arrived regarding our work
3/2/18 Sunday No work or orders for our party yet
4/2/18 " " " " "
5/2/18 " " " " "
6/2/18 Party started work today, our job is to salvage
the shells, bombs, rifles, cartridges etc etc from the
old battle fronts along the Messines Ridge. in
fact salvage anything that can be reconditioned &
used. All I have to do is to get the men on to
their job, then draw the rations from the 3rd Div
A.S.C. quite an easy job
7/2/18 To 11/2/18 Huge piles of salvage have been
slowly accumulating in a large dump, we have
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salvaged everything from machine guns to rifles, bombs etc
huge quantities of material have been abandoned as
the front line was slowly pushed forward, it
has been nobodys job to gather this good material
together now much deteriorated away to exposure
but still quite serviceable, we have accumulated
enough 18 pounder & s a ammunition to fight a
big battle, 69 men left to join their Coys today
am remaining here with the remainder, our
strength has now dropped to 34
12/2/18 To 14/2/18 Still with fatigue party
15/2/18 Relieved today by 10 men of the 1st Bn &
returned to our Bn by the buses that brought
our relief. found the Bn at Merrin. our
billets are very close to the villages of Merris,
Outerstein & Meterern, joined up with the Coy
during the afternoon
16/2/18 Parade 9am-12.30 Sports during the
afternoon, football & Brigade boxing competitions
17/2/18 Sunday Church parade at Bn Hdqrs
spent rest of the day in Bailleul
18/2/18 Parades as usual
19/2/18 Parades in morning, & evening 8-9pm
20/2/18 Parade 8am marched to Bailleul to the Div
baths, had a bath & complete change, rained during
the afternoon, no further parades during day
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21/2/18 Parades as usual
22/2/18 " " "
23/2/18 " " "
24/2/18 Sunday Bn attended a Brigade church
parade near Metereen we were to be reviewed by
the Div General, but he did not turn up,
Mounted with 15 men at 4pm Bn Quarter Guard
25/2/18 Dismounted Guard 4pm, relieved by B Coy
returned to billets
26/2/18 Bn competitions for a silver cup, judged today
for all classes of work - drill, rapid loading, guns
drill, rifle drill, open order drill, bombing, rifle
grenade shooting, & at the rifle range. A Coy did
very well. winning Coy "C" followed by "A D B"
27/2/18 Left camp 8am & marched to Parret Camp
near Kemmel arriving 3pm
28/2/18 Left camp at 9.30 am marched towards the line
about 2 miles to La Brasserie Corner & camped at Ridge
Wood Camp. Detailed in the evening, for a reconoitering
party on our sector of the line we went as far as Hill 60
returning to camp later on during the day
1/3/18 In camp all day. Detailed for working party at
night, left camp at 4pm. left by train on a light railway
feeding the various depots behind the line when took us
5 miles then marched the rest of the way. Fritz attacked the
outpost in front of us at 11pm after a heavy bombardment, we
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had several casualties, as we all took part in the general
defence, not much work was done, returned to camp 1am
2/3/18 A Coy detailed for the Div Baths, where we get
a complete change
3/3/18 Sunday No church parade today, warned for
fatigue at night, building a new defence line, left camp
at 4/30 by train, returning at 12.30am
4/3/18 No fatigues today, day off
5/3/18 Parade 11am, fatigue party leave for the line again
tonight, much aeroplane activity tonight
6/3/18 No fatigues today
7/3/18 Fatigue to support line at night, heavy bombardment
all night, on our return to camp ordered to "Stand too"
all night as an attack was expected at 4am, however
nothing developed. From rations issued today as an
emergency. It is expected that soon the Germans
will make their final attempt to end the war in
their favour as out intelligence corps has informed
us that nearly 150 divisions have been brought to
the Western Front released from the Russian Front
owing to the surrender of Russia
8/3/18 Took over the duties of Co O Sgt today
9/3/18 Warned this evening for UK leave. passes etc
issued this evening am leaving tomorrow morning
10/3/18 Sunday Caught the buss at the cross roads which
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took us to Bailleul, where we catch the train at 3.50
pm & reach Calais (Fonlanette Stn) at 8pm. Spent the
night at the leave camp No 6 East
11/3/18 Left No 6 East for No 6 West Camp. staging here
all night, the leave camps are very full up & conjested,
as several drafts that arrived before us have not yet
left, and as drafts continue to arrive daily the
conjestion is getting worse, there has been a lack of
transport to convey them across the Channel.
12/3/18 Left Calais by the 1.15pm boat arrived Dover 2.30
arrived London 6.30pm Paid off at Horseferry Rd, changed,
bathed etc by 9.30. Spent the night at Peel House
leave finishes on the 26/3/18
13/3/18 To 26/3/18 Leave in U K
26/3/18 Left Victoria Stn London 8.45am arriving
dover 10.30, we were placed for several houses in a
large factory near the station. Left Dover 5pm &
reached Calais 6.30 7 spent the night in No 6 East Camp
27/3/18 Revelle 6am. Left camp 7am to catch the train
at Fontinette Stn at 10.30. Detrained at Caestre
arriving in camp 3pm. Warned to be ready to leave at
a moments notice. Left camp in Motor Busses 4pm for
La Cleate & marched to Fournai Camp where I found
the Bn
8/3/18 In camp with the Bn all day, warned for
fatigue party at night to work just behind the front
line, rained at night, returned to camp wet through
at 12.30 next morning
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29/3/18 Good Friday Warned today that we will be
leaving very soon for the Somme front, where there
is now some very heavy fighting, as the Germans have
selected this area for their big push, which has
commenced with considerable success on that sector, he has
already advanced many miles along the 5th army front
30/3/18 Mounted B O Sgt with the guard at 4pm
31/3/18 Sunday BO Sgt all day. sun shining all day making
things much more cheerful, news from the Somme very bad
1/4/18 No parades today, we leave for the Somme
tomorrow, Somme news still very bad, we cannot get
the real facts
2/4/18 Left Fournai Camp by the light railway at
Gordon dump & detrained at Reningherlst & marched
to Hoograf about 2¼ miles from Poperinghe which we
can see in the distance, we are placed in a series of
small huts near Corps HdQrs. Sun shining all day
3/4/19 Mounted BO Sgt at 4pm
4/4/18 Dismounted BO Sgt 4pm we expect to be leaving
for the Somme tomorrow. All troops have been
evacuated from this area, everything being very
quiet, quite different to 6 months ago, when the
whole area right up to the line was swarming with
troops, now we are the only division left, everybody
has been mooved down towards the Somme
5/4/18 In camp all day, raining all day, left camp 8pm
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