Diary of David James Stone, 1916-1917 - Part 1

 Diary of

War 1914-1918

 

 

PR 82/34

Diary of 1916

January

1st On desert at Abbysia training camp Egypt

9th Removed to Heliopolis training camp Egypt

29th Orders to leave Heliopolis for Telel-Kebir Egypt

February

2nd Arrived at Telel-Kebir and remained there 

During this month drilling and practicing

March

1st Still at Telel-Kebir

19th Went to earthworks built by Dervishes against the

British 35 years ago where the British square

was broken before routing the enemy

25th Went again to battlefield & found relics of it

31st Left Jelel-Kebir for Serapeum on Asiatic

Bank of Suez Canal a route march of

39 miles of with rifle equipment and pack

through soft sand

April

1st Route march continuing passed bitter lakes

2nd Arrived at Serapeum in the Afternoon

 

16th 17th 18 Terrible dust storms sweeping here

(Serapeum) have swims in Canal frequently

25th Hold sports here Anniversary of the landing

of the Anzaco on peninsula

May

1st Still at Serapeum Rumours of a removal to 

France

8th Left Serapeum and arrived at Railend the

latter place being 4 miles out in the desert 

from Serapeum

16th Left Railend for Habuta trenches about 5

miles out in the desert from Railend arri-

-ving there that afternoon after a heavy 

march with full packs over soft sandhills

24th Doing outpost duties at Habuta and 

making sand bag positions

27th Fresh rumours of our removal to France

29th Left Habuta for railend 

June

4th Left Railend for train at Serapeum

5th Arrived at AlexandraEgypt

6th Boarded the troopship Arcadian about 2 a m

7th Left Alexandria about 9 a.m.

11th Arrived at Marsielles in afternoon

12th Left troopship for rest camp 2 mls from harbour

Also had evening in Marsielles

13th Left Marsielles for North by train at 10.30.a.m.

14th Continued our journey passing Orange at 4p.m.

through different towns & beautiful orchard land

15th Continuing our journey passing the following 

owns: Amiens, Abbeville, St Omer Boulonge 

and arriving at Strazelle  about 2am of 16th 

and about 12 miles from the firing line

19th Left Strazelle for Aestaires a route

march of about 10 miles

22nd Still at Aestaires and going through

A course of Stretcher bearing.

25th Went to within a mile and a half of

firing line passing Sailly

July

12th vicinity of firing line for Aestaires

13th Left Aestaires arriving at Strazelle again

14th Left Strazelle for train route march of 10 mls

15th Left train about 2 a.m. and marched 

about 10 mls to billets at Pernois arriving 

there about 9a.m.

16-17-18th 10 mile route marches daily.

19th Up before orderly room for missing parade and

was dismissed

29th Left Pernois for  Rubempre with full pack

Rifle etc. a march of 15 miles

August

1st Left Rubempre for Contay wood march

of about 6 mls enroute for Albert

5th Left Contay about 5p.m arriving on hill

near Albert about 9P.M.

7th Left Albert for reserve trenches near La

Boiselle during the night enemy shells

Killed 8 of our men and wounded three

12th Went to front line with aerial torpedoes

13th Battalion leaves for front line and for

The first time witness heavy shell fire

14th Left front line for second under heavy shelling

15th Left for Albert in open during night

 

16th Left Albert for Warloy in morning

Left Warloy and arrived at Montrelet

25th Left Montrelet for Rubempre

26th Left Rubempre for Albert via Contay

27th Arrived on ridge near Albert and endured

extra heavy rains with only oil sheets over us

30th Left Albert and arrived in same trenches

as the first time we went up

September

1st Went up to front line under heavy shell

fire

5th Left firing line for Albert stayed there 1 night

6th Left Albert for a village about 6 miles away

7th Left for another village march of about -10 mls

8th Boarded train about 7 a m enroute for

Steenvorde arriving there in the afternoon

19th Left Steenvorde for Reninghelst in Belgium

October

7th Joined a raiding party and left Rening-

-helst for a wood about 1 mile away.

12th Went over in raid & had 4 casualties

14th Rejoined stretcher bearers in the trenches

23rd Leaving trenches being relieved by Kings Royal Rifles

24th Find ourselves against at Reninghelst Camp

25th Leave Reninghelst for town on Franco Belgian Bdr

26th Leave by train at 5a.m enroute for Oneux passing

Hazelbrouk, Boulonge and Amiens arriving at Oneux

about 4P.M

27th Leave Oneux about 10 a.m and arrive at Yaucourt

Bussus about 4P.M

30th Raining very hard and inspected by General Cox here

November

2nd Left Yaucourt-Bussus on route march of about 8 miles

Stayed the night in village near Fleixcourt

3rd Left on a route march of 10 miles arriving at

St Vaast Le Chasse in the afternoon

6th Went into Amiens it being 11-9 killometers from LeChasse

7th Left St Vaast Le Chasse for Vignacourt 4 killometers

away And took French motor Lorrie’s to Buire it

being 24 killometers from Amiens and 4 1\2 to Albert

9th Witnessed German aviator flying over our billet

With a plane resembling one of ours our anti air

craft guns settled him.

12th Left Buire enroute for Flers stayed 1 night halfway