Diary of Oberlin Herbert Gray, January to August 1918 - Part 5

1918 SUNDAY 24 FEB.
2nd in Lent. S. Matthias
Fine.
An Austn mail up to Jan
7 arrived- Heard of Gypsy's
loss - very unfortunate
Went for a route march
during morning - The aftn
off & went down & to YMCA
in evg to a small service
A boy in the Arty held the
service & it was original
& rather amusing he was
quite sincere, but brought in
some very funny phrases -
the subject was on Jezebel &
Naboth's vineyard -
FEB. MONDAY 25 1918 
Monday broke wet & windy - too
wet for sports, to be held -
The ground had been prepared
but it seemed as though fate
had decreed otherwise - No
parades - A concert in the 
evening at YMCA. It was
much better than the last-
Darcy Dixon gave 2 recitations
from the Sentimental Bloke -
an amusing Sketch - some
good & also indifferent singing
& recitations & Billy Roscoe
amused everyone with
his part - -
Harry R& I had a good game
of chess.

1918 TUESDAY 26 FEB.
A route march in morning.
SR .HR & I cleared up the Sports
ground- Returning we had to
cross a fence & ditch - HR
tried to jump both, but the
ground was slippery & he caught
his foot in the top wire & landed
on his shoulder in the ditch
fortunately the water wasn't
as dirty as it might have been.
In aftn Mac & had leave
to Hazelbruck - went across
country - passed a Chinese encampment -
Entered the town near
the Cathedral. It is a fine structure
with a spire & a magnificent
interior - Mac & I went round 
the streets saw several places where
aerial torpedoes had fallen &
done a lot of damage - houses
wrecked streets torn up -  One bomb
had fallen near the police courts -
The Tribunal had been removed to
St Omer - Most civilians had left
the town- Went to the YMCA at
the Gare - to the Soldiers Club & the
other large Church.
FEB. WEDNESDAY 27 1918
Final arrangements for leaving -
a fine warm day - Dinner at 11.30
& parade at noon - motor lorries
picked us up at 1 & brought up thro'
Bailleul & Locre to the ADS of 13^th
Fd Amb at Voormezele 3 or 4 Kilos
North of Mt Kemmel -- stayed in 
dugouts &c for night. 16 or 18 came
in each lorry - the day was one
of the warmest we have yet had.
Caught many picturesque glimpses
of country side - one when ^we were
descending a long hill. The
crowded road, motor vehicles - mule teams
etc. The trees, just budding lining
the road, lots of battered buildings
on the route - silhouetted on the
hill top a windmill, with slow turning
sails, surrounded by smiling fields,
the whole bathed in brilliant
sunshine -
We rose at 6 on Thurs & at 8.30 paraded
ready for marching off. Came across
open country not much damaged -
camouflaged artillery etc scattered
about. Arrived as Spoil Bank
& left 2 men there at the Post -
Various boards of direction & advice
are scattered about such as-

1918 THURSDAY 28 FEB.
Overland track to Spoil Bank - St Eloi
Dead Dog Farm - Pheasant Dump -
Damristrasse & some quite unpronouncable
names - "Do not drink water out of Shellholes"
"Bring back a piece of salvage when retg."
"If enemy plane's are over, stand still -
Don't look up" - Some of these are taken
notice of - others are not - Crossed, a big
canal with high banks on either side
It is filled in in places - Left some men
at Norfolk Lodge, the relay post at a
big system of underground dug outs,
lit with elec. the tunnel running
for hundred of yards through hill on
canal banks. Crossed bridge where a
big lock stood - followed the Light Rail
for a mile or so to the RAP at the
Iron Bridge - This bridge once crossed
the Canal & was the site of the winning
of the first V.C. in the War. The twelfth
man swam up the canal & destroyed
the bridge - The RAP is in a deep
dugout, the rear entrance coming
out on the sides of the canal
banks- Fritz heavily bombarded
the Light Rail during after & when I went
down for rations at 5PM the line was
blown up in 6 places & other shells
had fallen a few ft away. We can see
 MARCH FRIDAY 1 1918
S. David 
Fritz lines plainly - Much better rations
A stand to from 2 AM. Our Squad
had to do gas guard 9PM to 6AM. Heavy
Artillery fire towards Ypres, & the sound
of rifle fire came up like the sound
of retreating waves on a pebbly shore
there are 4 details & MO, & a Bn stretcher
squad - During the day making
ourselves comfortable, & cleaning
up the place - cleaned stairs &
pumped out water - But Newlyn
took over cooking which was
a contrast- plenty of wood about
but all very wet - The country is
a desolate waste - hillocks of brown
mud - a shattered wood near
us with innumerable shell holes
filled with water. A light railway
come up from the Canal valley -
& ends near the RAP, it is camouflaged
at this end - Hill 60 is on the
Northern bank of canal towards Ypres.
The White Chateau, a mass of ruins
stands near us & sheltered 2 companies
in its underground galleries - A
heavy bombardment started about 9PM
The 10^th Bn were charging over with
13^th - & Fritz times his raid at a
good moment for him - The raid was 

1918 SATURDAY 2 MARCH
expected but Fritz managed to get thro'
oner patrols without being seen – About
120 men in raid party- One art. opened
up on them - Fritz got thro to Company
HdQrs & killed Major - & several others
also took some prisoners. Our barrage 
caught them on return, & we counter
attacked as well- several wounded
who came thro had been "on way to
Berlin" & wounded by our fire -
the arty caught some of our men
in a sap- Stretcher cases began
to come thro' & we carried down & got
another squad from Norfolk Bridge -
Later got Sam R from across the canal
we carried some & used truck part
of way - Working under difficulties,
at this end - fortunately the night
was mild & moonlight - Evacuated
all cases by 6. AM, then had break
of tea & bacon & turned in, slept
till 4 then got another meal ready,
a strong wind had been blowing
all day - very bitter - & slight fall
of snow. A quiet & very dark
night - Tom Pollock came up -
3 men from 10^th Bn placed hire
on gas guard.
 MARCH SUNDAY 3 1918
3rd in Lent
P Brown & Kilgone came up during
day & we helped make them a home
in a dugout near one entrance. There
are 4 entrances to the RAP about
50 yds apart. & 4 compartments - Elec.
light is laid on & burns all day -
We took up one floor & cleaned out
much of the foetid filth underneath
made a well for water to drain
into, & put plenty of disinfectant
on floor - Newlyn is going to cook
for the 2 squads -
Received a parcel of Nov from
M^rs P as Westover & it couldn't
have arrived at a more welcome
time. N. recd some apples from Blighty
We get our water from the other
side of canal at a well - Shell
hole water for washing -
A raid on our Right at night, &
a dummy raid on left - a heavy
bombardment shook the place for
some time - one casualty at
2AM. our squad went down. 

1918 MONDAY 4 MARCH
A quiet day. plenty of stories
about, concerning the raid -
about 40 Germans said to be
lying in front of our barb wire
7 or 8 prisoners were taken
of the 10^th Bn. One Fritz
officer who was killed, wearing
several decorations, said to
have been in over 20 previous
raids
MARCH TUESDAY 5 1918
One patient about 2 AM. just
enough light to see by - could
see Frtiz aeroplanes _searchlights trying to
locate our aeroplanes in the
dark bank of cloud - could
see his shells bursting & every
now & then a long stream of
stars ascend upwards
into the clouds
Went over to Sam R's across the
canal to tea - Freddy W.
not feeling too well, he cooked
a nice tea  - steak & fried
potatoes & onions - & tinned
apricots & coffee. 

1918 WEDNESDAY 6 MARCH
A fine warm day- Fritz
throwing a lot of shells over on
left. Making a track across 
to the canal bridge -
also draining shells holes
near dugout to prevent so much
soakage.
As we took down a patient
after tea Fritz was putting a
great many gas shells over
on Nth bank of Canal - wore
masks for a time, they are
very uncomfortable- We smelt
the phosgene - 
Rations are good - 3 loaves for
8 meat & macs. & potatoes
margarine - & 2 lb  jam candle 
& rum - also Choc. tobacco &
cigs & an orange from Comfort
fund
Teaching Newlyn to play
chess -
MARCH THURSDAY 7 1918
Bill Stanwer one of our squad is
a typical Russian - a big fellow, but
doesnt like doing anything he does
not have to do.
The gas yesterday caught a great
many of the 9^th Bn. The Col.
Adjt & M.O. & 60 to 90 men  we
hear - 
A bright day - several patients
making a short cut track
to the Bridge across canal.
Watched a cloud of gas coming
across from Fritz lines, a big
cloud of thick white smoke
which advanced on our right
with a favorable wind, it kept
low - our planes signalled
to artillery, & gas gongs were
sounded. 

1918 FRIDAY 8 MARCH
MARCH SATURDAY 9 1918
O. returned from leave of 15 days
which he spent mostly in Scotland
with Jack Southwell & friends.
he also went down to Bexhill
for a couple of days, seeing A.
on his return to London. He
looked a picture of health, &
in best of Spirits - After being
over here for 15 months one gets
absolutely "fed up of ^with the whole
business.
Shd be Friday 

1918 SUNDAY 10 MARCH
4th in Lent
Very warm
Alf Clemes came round in evening
looking for dugouts for some of
his men - he is a Lt att^d 
to 12^th Bn.
Col Cade with Major Savage visited
us, & told us we would be relieved
to morrow, altho. We asked to be
allowed to remain here.
I took a patient down early
in morning - a small bird
was whistling & singing by track
& was, still practising a score
of notes on my return.
Ben Vaughan came in & had a
good yarn about old times.
Some of 2nd Fd Amb "relieved" us in
morning & we came to the ADS at
Vermozeele & then on to the Brasser
spent a cold night in a very
damp cellar.
MARCH MONDAY 11 1918
20 of us went up to the D.Stu
at Spoil Bank & worked on
dugouts all day. Quite the
warmest day we have had
the sun shining in a cloudless
day. A few HE's fell near
the D.S.tn during morning -
searching for Artillery 

1918 TUESDAY 12 MARCH 
Went up to Spoil Bank
again - HES dropping round
all morning, chiefly near
Norfolk Lodge on the canal.
Our 9" artillery were answering.
Another very warm day - 
Several men killed & injured
round about, one of our Chaps
slightly hit a few feet from me
2 anti aircraft guns mounted
on lorries came up to a post
near us & remained all day.
Watched a Fritz escaped Obs.ⁿ
baloon drift across to us, &
set on fire by one of our
planes it came to earth
near Kemmel.
O not feeling well - a touch
of trench fever.
MARCH WEDNESDAY 13 1918 
Fatigues at the Brasserie,
they are preparing several plots
of ground for planting potatoes
etc.
A very warm day quite summery
In evening walked over to
Wytschaete with Vic Hall to see
a friend. Went past the
Catacombes & out for Ohract Wood
Heard that Dick Fenton was
at next post at Cabaret Farm, so
went on to see him - They were
bringing down some gassed cases
Dick was badly wounded at
Ypres in Sept. but is well &
has just returned from Eng.
The AMC. were living in a
concrete Nissen hut -
Returned across country by a
duck board track - & caught a
lorry to Veerstraat. There are
some awful names about here
E.g. Kruisstrathock - Voormezeele
One notices many notices about the
country re salvage of war materials 

1918 THURSDAY 14 MARCH
Went up to Spoil Bank,
Found the newly made grave of
Greer Furmage (6275 12^th Bn) near
Spoil Bank, alongside that
of Capt Webber of 12^th Bn. They
were killed by the same shell,
on 6^th inst.
X
Last night the 15^th Bn made a
raid on Fritz but were met
by a bombing party of the
latter & the attack failed -
Fritz made an attack on
the 12^th Bn but was repulsed
about 40 casualties on our
side - several prisoners (Fritz)
taken - Heard that one of the
12^th Bn distinguished himself &
is to be recommended for V.C.
MARCH FRIDAY 15 1918
Working at La Brasserie on our
selection - a crisp warm
day
A case brought in suffering
from haemorrhage from Throat. SI.W.
Had an appt. with the dentist.
the one aff^d to our Unit is
at work here