Diary of Oberlin Herbert Gray, January to August 1918 - Part 7

1918 FRIDAY 5 APRIL
Rain fell during the day
Looked up an old friend
at a little lace shop. She
was not feeling well
Caestre was full of troops - did not
see much difference since my last
visit, but we struck much better quarters
Billeted in the Chateau, a fine
roomy place, about 250 found a
home there - It is a 3 storied house
with a basement & conservatory,
the grounds have gone to ruin
We occupied the topmost floor
& were comfortable - did not
spend too good a night- dreamt
that I was at F.H.S. in a dugout
& the place was being shelled,
I had been down to see the
12^th Bn off by train - Had a
chat to C. Elliott & Alf Clemes -
& 2 or 3 others, they were getting
cocoa at YMCA before embarking
APRIL SATURDAY 6 1918
Up at 4.30, packed up & had
breakfast, paraded at 7, various
preliminaries - rations. (emergency)
issued - entrained about 8.30 &
were soon off - travelled through
pretty country- noticed several
huge shell craters in one place
near the line, with the young
crop all around - passed thro
St Omer & on to Calais where
we halted a short time- No 11
Hosp train was in the yards -
We put on speed going South
passing some large quarries where
many German prisoners were at
work - passed Wincraux &
Boulogne, then Etaples & stopped
at Abbeville a few minutes -
Several went across to YMCA, &
the train started off, there was
a great rush but 5 or 6 were
left behind - Finally reached
Amiens about 7 P.M.  disentrained
& waited until the transport was
ready - Then marched off through
seemingly interminable streets
out into the country, through
one or two villages halting twice
for 10 minutes rest - Rain was
 

1918 SUNDAY 7 APRIL
Law Sunday
falling most of the time, & we
we were all wet & tired by 1 A.M.
when we passed through Ailly
Sur Somme & arrived at Ste Saveux
Up at 8 & had the day to
ourselves, so looked around the
place. Went to Ailly S.S. & watched
barges passing through the
Canal lock near the Somme -
Aeroplanes active & one or two Fritz
planes about - bombing on Amiens
One of the saddest sights I have
seen is the retreat of the civilians,
women, old men & children with their
household belongings piled high on
all kinds of vehicles - the family
walking alongside - - The English
troops one sees about are mostly
very young - From those who were
there we have heard stories of
the retreat - There was sever fighting
at the commencement, & later
many of the troops threw away packs
& rifles & ran - The young officers
of the present army do not seem to
have the sticking quality of the
old ones. I heard from the 63 RAMC
that after the first day, they just
retreated, & did no work.
APRIL MONDAY 8 1918
Rain fell softly - Two up etc
occupied a good many of the men,
The fruit trees are in blossom &
look very pretty, spent a cold
night as our billet is very airy
& we have only one blanket -
Rain fell during the day
In the evening went for a
walk to a village 2 kilos from
Ailly sur Somme. A
great many troops moving, mostly
mere boys - Fugitives from
Amiens with piled up wagons
or carts drawn by horses or
donkeys. - A continual stream
of motor vehicles -
saw a drunk Frenchman,
a very unusual spectacle.
Several men making a nuisauce
of themselves.
 

1918 TUESDAY 9 APRIL
A fine day
Early dinner at 11 AM. In the
morning. prepared to leave, & soon
after dinner marched out - -
Travilled due North then East
for a time - passed several
Companies of 1^st Bgde - Through
rolling country - a new aerodrome
of RNAS in a fir wood - the
planes disporting themselves above.
Passed refugees from the battle
area, mostly women & children.
The wild flowers are very pretty,
carpets of daisies in some places.
Noticed a peasant woman
collecting dandelions for food (or
drink). -
Halted at the town of Flisilles
& took up quarters in a billet,
later move to another - Met
Jack Jones, he is a signaller in
9^th Bn. Walked round the
streets - the 3^rd Brigade is
billeted here, - A  tremendous
amount of traffic through the
main street - The French
always put up their prices when
austns come in to a town.
APRIL WEDNESDAY 10 1918
A route march to Naoui 4 km
distant, & stopped near the
entrance to some rather
famous caves - Have seen
hundreds of Chinese, they work
on railways, timber mills,
roads etc.
Heavy artillery fire to the
East
The Daily Mail speaks of
the stand of the Austns 4^th Div
against wave after wave of
Germans -
The people round here are
quite confident now the Austn
& other Colonial Troops are
here - They have made a
name as fighters, but at
what a sacrifice.
In evening Vic Hall & went out to Viqnacourt
caught a motor lorry & courier, then another
into the town, it is a place of 3500 - a
fine church - On the hill tops there
are Church trench systems every where, they
have just been dug & show up among
the young green crops. There ^are thousands
of Austn & other troops in the town -
Watched hundreds of cavalry &
 

1918 THURSDAY 11 APRIL
Artillery marching through the town,
Had some coffee (au noir) then caught
a lorry for Canaples - & from there
a small car brought us home
About 17 Kilos in all. The country
is very interesting. - Orders to
be ready to move off at any hour
& waited in anticipation all day -
Last night Vic & I carried home 2
chaps who had been doped - they
were lying in the roadway near
here, & we fortunately knew where they
were billeted -
In evening Vic & I walked to a
village 5 kilos off & then to another
on a hill top, a great deal of
heavy artillery assembled there.
A fritz plane was over -
watched the shrapnel bursting
away to the East, & the flashes
of heavier guns - Beautiful
county around here, everything
green - 8 or 10 of our
planes circling around from
the aerodrome near. doing
spiral dives & looping the loop
& skimming low over the fields
then rising high in the heavens
APRIL FRIDAY 12 1918
The 12^th Bn moved off at 11 & we
folld having had an early lunch.
The day was cloudless & warm,
subsequent on a rainy night.
A 10 kilo march past the aerodrome
& Longchamp until we came to
fields just outside Amiens, where
we halted - numbers of aeroplanes
manoeveuring - Saw one in the
distance struck by shell fire
& come to earth - Could not
see whose it was - Had tea
& bread & cheese (1/3 loaf a day)) bivouaced
in the field, ready to move at
midnight - Scotty & I walked into a
village nearby - On the way back just
at dusk several Fritz planes came over
A dozen searchlights were searching
for them, & we saw one in the
limelight with shrapnel bursting round
Bombs & torpedoes commenced to drop -
Our transport WO & Sgt were both
wounded & one of the boys was Killed
near the village I had left & 2 others
wounded - For the next hour we had
a free pyrotechnical display - 16
searchlights playing in the heavens
planes occasionally seen - Shrapnel
bursting - the trail of "tracer"
 

1918 SATURDAY 13 APRIL
MG. bullets, bombs dropping, a distant
fire lighting the sky - About 10 we
saw one plane brought down, it
came down in circles. the pilot probably
wounded - Rolled ourselves in greatcoats
to lay down till 1 o'c. too cold to
sleep much - moved off about 2,
through the outskirt of Amiens to
a small park near the station -
most of the City is deserted, & being
looked - just before dawn - Fritz
planes appeared again, could follow
them plainly - 3 planes passed almost
over us, the nearest bomb 150 yds, off.
Bombs were crashing all round, the
H.V. shells were also passing over &
falling beyond the town - Suddenly
one shell fell 80 yds away, with a
terrific burst - it knocked a
tall chimney down - The hollow
saved us - one 3^rd Eng. a few
yards away was struck through
the heart, he did not suffer- a horse
was struck in the head & fell without
a sound - We moved to a spot
beyond the railway - An aerial
torpedo brought a building down
on one of our cars - the driver
was very fortunate, only a scratch
about noon moved into Amiens again
APRIL SUNDAY 14 1918
13/-/- 2nd after Easter
& caught the train - The 9^th Bn entrd
We moved off about 1 PM - a cold day;
the truck was closed except for part of one
door - Passed through Doulleus & St Pol.
There we passed a long train crowded with
refugees, from round about Lens who were
flying because of the gas sent over - It
was pitiful to see old & young women &
children of all ages, homeless & flying
from the Hun. During the night passed
Caestre & about 4 AM disentrained at a
siding near Hazebrouck - Marched 3k.
into H. & went into the workshops near
church - These had been hurriedly left a
day or two ago – We went thro' & looked at
the machinery etc. Several went thro'
into the town but after W.Roscoe was wounded
near the Church 200 yds away the Col
gave orders that no one was to heave billets
We are in reserve - Slept ready to
march at a few mintutes notice, as
Fritz was expected to attack -
The place is very quiet except
for guns firing nearby, & shells falling
in & around town.
 

1918 MONDAY 15 APRIL
Fritz shelling the town throughout
day- Had the luxury of a hot
bath - Have spoken to "stragglers"
from the Divisions that were in
the Line. The Portugese "let them
down" on the right & Fritz was
managed to get round our men -
The retreat seems to have been
very hurried & disorganized -
Many of them are mere boys of
19 & 20 - One told me that a
draft was sent up of boys of 18½
It was sent straight into the
Line, & many were crying & suffering
from shock, & no Wonder.
We can only get some idea from
the papers & rumors & use our
own judgement - Fritz seems
to have made a raid to draw
our troops from Somme, & finding
a weak spot, pushed on.
Armentierers was flooded with
gas shells before Fritz advanced
We are holding him now near
Sec Bois on this Sector - Vieuix
Berquin where we were in Feb is
now in Fritz's hands -
APRIL TUESDAY 16 1918
During last evg a number of shells
fell near our building & about 10
as we were getting to sleep, one fell
close to the wall bringing in most
of the windows & blinds on top of us.
The building to about 200 ft long.
Pieces of shell & brick flew about
the rooms but noone hurt - Had
orders to go down towards Honninghen.
& later took up quarters in the
cellars. Seems likely that a spy
has given word of presence of troops
in this quarter, as shells fell all
round the place this morning -
On duty to night - gas shells
falling in the town - A boy of
nine was badly wounded -
There are stilI civilians left in
the town - A shell fell fell
near the orderly room, & killed
4 pigeons - Some pigs & poultry
were left by the former occupants
Two of the former came to an
untimely end & we had roast pork
for dinner -
 

APRIL WEDNESDAY 17 1918
On duty last night, so tried
to get some sleep during morning
Woke at 11 AM to hear that we
move off after an early dinner.
Marched to a farmhouse near
Wallon Cappell & occupied it as
a dressing station - Col Butler
came later & remained -
Scattered over the fields are vast
shell holes, like miniature mine
craters, they show up on the new
crops. - Some mounted troops
have rounded up a big herd of
cattle in a field near here
Several Frenchwomen busy milking
them also a few Tommies &
Austns - We had permission to
get all we wanted so 2
good milkers went down, &
returned with a couple of
brimming dixies -
APRIL THURSDAY 18 1918 
Hail fell during day, cold &
windy -
This place is the Main Dressing
Station, our cars & 5 MAC
cars are evacuating wounded
The Hazebruck St Omer railway
runs close by - Annompet
shells have fallen near it -
Some of the biggest shell holes
I have seen - one is 20 ft
deep & 50 ft across -
Working parties have been transforming
them into miniature forts - &
adding to their number -
Barb wire to being placed
across country, & trenches dug
behind Hazebruck.
 

APRIL FRIDAY 19 1918
Cold & windy, sleet fell
Building cook house, just as
we had nearly completed it
a despatch arrived, orders
to rejoin unit - We were
sorry to leave such a good
home - Tea, packed the
wagons, & left at 6 marching
through Hazebrouck. about 9
kilos to St Sylvester Cappel
near Cassel - Heavy banks
of dark blue cloud accumulated
in the West & rain was falling
between us & the setting sun,
The sun disappeared & the
clouds rolled towards us, &
preceded by an icy blast, sleet
began to fall heavily -
Arrived at a farm about
8 PM, & took up our quarters
in a large empty barn.
APRIL SATURDAY 20 1918
Keen frosty morning, a few
flakes of snow fell -
We are ready to move off
at short notice.
 

1918 SUNDAY 21 APRIL
3rd after Easter
Fine but cold.
O.L.S Holt & 2 others retd from the
Base, they left from Ypres gassed
There are plenty of Austns at the
Base - While Holt was in hosp
at Beleraux - Gothas were
over dropping bombs on Boulogne
they also tried to destroy a
railway viaduct near the Hosp.
One bomb dropped on a ward
tent & wounded 2 or 3 patients.
Walked into St Sylvestre Cappel -
Had some coffee at a farmhouse
opposite where we are billeted.
APRIL MONDAY 22 1918
A lot of 12^th Bn wounded coming
through as well as Eng. regts
Fritz made an attack thinking
they were Portugese in front of
them, they came over with full
packs over, & met the 12^th Bn. -
Ben Vaughan has "gone West"
another old school fellow. he
led a charge, & fell with a
bullet through the neck - One
of the 12^th said "he was as
brave as a lion"
Several shells fell around St.S.
& one fell on a house near the
Church - a lot of those civilians
who are left, hurredly left with
what few belongings they could
carry - old men - women &
children. leaving their homes &
belongings with the prospect of
perhaps never seeing them again.
 

1918 TUESDAY 23 APRIL
S. George
Alf Clemes passed through with
others of 12^th Bn.
A heavy bombardment during
evg & bombs dropped around
during the night -
A shell passed right through
the Church at St Sylvestre not
far away, We saw it xxxx
hit the roof &, the hole appear
in wall on this side - the
place is full of troops & the
main road approaching
lined with motor lorries -
One bandsman of 11^th Bn was
mortally wounded in the
street.
APRIL WEDNESDAY 24 1918
Very busy, a great many wounded
passed through, some ghastly
sights - Fritz attacked twice
& we counter attacked, but
from all accounts did not attack
advance far - Our artillery
did not knock Meteren about
much, & Fritz took advantage
of this & had the place full
of machine guns.
A great many bombs dropped
around the district at night
I went over to Terdeghem in
the evening with Wainwright
We went down a bye road & struck
across grass fields & through 2
or 3 farms It another road, then
down to the village where
French Zonars are camped,
also an Eng. Labour Bn.
Had a rather amusing spy hunt,
the "spy" turned out to be a
colonel The Town Major of St S.
who was shelled out of his billet
& was wandering round the
country