Diary of Harold William Riggall 1916 - Part 3

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couple of stiff whiskys each to warm us up.
We then sent the ''garcon'' to summon our orderlies

with the horses & departed amid cheers &c.
On Thursday received orders to entrain at 

11-15PM. at Pont un for Havre.  The first
train left at 7-30 PM. under command of
Col. Burgess & I left by second train.  The
third train did not leave until 2-30 AM on
Friday morning.  Loaded alright in a place
over our ankles in mud & in the dark with
the rain coming down in torrents.  At last
after all getting wet through we were ready
& the train left at 11-45 P.M.
Friday April 7^th
We were i.e Lloyd, Hely & myself in a first
class carriage.  The other officers were in first class
carriages the NCO & men in third class carriages
& the horses in big trucks which carry four
horses at each end & I left two men to travel
with them.  As C.O. of the train my rest was
very broken for at every stop some ^French officer
in uniform would open the door & want to
look at our pass & require my signature
to some paper or other.  We stopped for
breakfast at Chalons-sur-Saone at 6 o'clock
in the morning where we found hot coffee & rum
ready for us.  It was still raining & we
were all glad of the rum in the coffee.  We
watered & fed the horses & after staying there an

22
hour the engine whistled & away we went
through the most beautiful country I have ever
seen.  The rain stopped & the sun did his best
to come out & Kiddie darling how I longed
for you to be with me when the train would
emerge from some tunnel & wind its way
along an embankment beside the Rhone.  A
beautiful stream with lovely villages of most
fantastic colorings nestling along its banks
some away in the distance among the hills.
The scenery was grand & beautiful, how
you would love it.  The colorings of the
forests & fields attracted the eye.  The whole
of Southern France appears to me like a
huge private estate, everything is in order &
beautifully kept & looked after.  We stopped
at Valence & Lyons for meals that day
& found hot coffee ready for us at both
places.
Saturday April 8^th
We passed through & stopped at
Montereau at 11-30 AM for half an hour
& Laroche, Sens, Heracy, Melun,
Macon, Furisy (where we branched
off) Versailles, Mantes where we
stayed an hour for tea.  I loved some
of the country we passed through today
We saw a lot of private houses in most
beautiful grounds but everywhere they

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seemed to be shut up.  In one huge garden
I saw a husband & his wife & little son & oh
darling I thought of you & Bill.  It was a beautiful
garden half natural half artificial, the husband
was gathering up rubbish & burning it & his
wife was helping him, the little boy about
six was doing his share too.  When they saw
our train the man & lady waved to me & the
little boy ran up to the fence to see the "Australians"
Well Kiddie I threw him one of my Australia
badges for a souvenir.  His mother seemed pleased.
But I wish I could describe the country to you
it is so beautiful.  we stopped at Versailles
for half an hour & some French Nurses brought
us hot coffee & such lovely rolls & butter.  They
make beautiful bread here I live on bread &
butter & cafe au lait.  Rather funny thing
happened at Versailles we overshot the station a
little & below our carriage was a boys & girls school.
The youngsters of course wanted to look at us but
the old girl who ran the school tried to get them
into the class room & at last rang the school bell
At that all my boys cheered & yelled loudly & it was
too much for the kids they refused to go into school.
And when my boys began to throw pennies
down among the children it was too much even
for the old girl & her assistants, for they scrambled
with the children to pick up some.  It all
looked so funny dear

24
Sunday April 9^th
We arrived at Havre at 2 o'clock this
morning & commenced to unload.  After everything
was unloaded I allowed the men to go to a Y.M.C.A.
stall & buy coffee & bread & butter & cakes.  We fell
in at 4-30 AM & marched on foot leading our
horses to No 2 Sanvic Camp which we reached at
7 AM. very weary & footsore.  It was a very foggy
morning.  I could only see about twelve feet ahead of me.
We arrived at the camp & found no arrangements made for
us I picketed the horses on the lines of the 1^st DA.C. & allotted
the men to tents.  the afternoon was spent pitching horse lines.
Rained all night.  Very cold.
Monday April 10^th
Sent Mr Lloyd to Ordnance to arrange about the
drawing of guns & wagons & equipment.  I myself
went to the Chief Remount Officer to try & get some of
my horses caste as unfit but after spending all day
over it had no success.  Rained all day
Tuesday April 11^th
Went to Ordnance with teams of 7^th Bty & drew
my guns, wagons cooks cart & water cart & spent
all day there drawing stores which took five motor
lorries to send back to camp.  Sent guns &c back
to Sanvic under Lieut Hely.  Fairly wet.
Wednesday April 12^th
Issued harness to sub sections in the
morning. Took thirty men & rode to Remount
Department & drew 19 riding horses & 51 draught

25.
Got back to Camp by 1 P.M.  Chose one of the riding
horses for myself & spent afternoon teaming up the
horses which were a very good lot.  At 10-30 P.M.
marched out of camp - a complete battery - some
of the new horses giving trouble & proceeded to the
Railway Station Havre which we reached at 11-30
P.M. when it began to rain again
Thursday April 13^th
Entrained without difficulty & train left at
3-15 AM. on an uninteresting journey most of
which I tried to sleep through.  Passed through
Calais at 5-15 P.M. & reached out destination
at 10-10 P.M.  This was Godesvelde the last town
or rather railway station in France before the line
crosses into Belgium.  We disembarked here & as
there was only one ramp & that broken I was not
ready to move off until 1-30 AM.
Friday April 14^th
Moved off at 1-30 AM. on an eight mile
treck to a farm at Buirée where we were stationed ^& which we reached at 3-30 AM.
The horse lines in a paddock the men in a barn
& officers in the house.  Got everything settled down
by 7-30 AM. & had breakfast café au lait & bread
& butter.  After breakfast had a sleep for a couple
of hours in a bed - very damp & very very cold.
Then had a look at the men's quarters which I found
very dirty, so put a fatigue party on & cleaned them
out putting down fresh straw to sleep on.  Spent
the afternoon refixing our horse lines &c.

26
Saturday April 15^th
Exercised horses in the morning & sent two
wagons into Godesvelde for our baggage.  Branded
harness & horses &c. in the afternoon.  Very wet &
cold.
Sunday April 16^th
Same work practically as yesterday.
Dry but very cold.  Horse lines up to the horses
hocks in mud.
Monday April 17^th
Should have gone up to the firing line
today with 30 men to take over the position of an
English Battery that we are relieving but had to
stay behind so sent Lieut Lloyd in charge.
Very wet & awfully cold.  Stayed indoors
myself all day.  But battery work carried
out as usual.
Tuesday April 18^th
Still raining & bitterly cold.  Had to move our
horse lines into another place, which is worse
if anything.  Stayed indoors myself all day.
Wednesday April 19^th
Rain stopped but bitterly cold wind blowing.
Still stopping indoors myself but feeling as fit
as a fiddle.  Horses feeling the cold a lot.
A coupe of men refused orders from an
NC.O this morning so hit them up with
28 days F.P. No 2.  Should make them feel
sorry they had come soldiering.

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Thursday April 20^th
The Sun was shining this morning so I
thought I would go out.  Col Burgess was called
away to Sailly-sur-Lys for a couple of days
& I have temporally taken over the command of
the 3^rd FA Bde during his absence.  Went for a
ride to Hazebrouck this afternoon with Pearce
(Orderly Officer).  It is a fair sized town but oh
Kiddie the roads in France are all so narrow
there is hardly room for two vehicles to pass one
another, & only the centre is macadamised.  Bought
a tin mug & a toothbrush there, but afternoon tea
i.e. café au lait & cakes - nearly broke us, it was
four francs.  Thank Goodness tomorrow is pay day.
I have plenty owing to me but the difficulty is to
get hold of it.
Friday April 21^st  Good Friday.
A beautiful morning nice bright sun & no wind.
Received orders today to move off tomorrow morning
to cleary Strazelle (which is about 3½ miles away) by
nine o'clock tomorrow morning & go to Estaires where
we will be permanently billetted ^for a few days. As I am commanding
the Brigade I have issued orders for the Units to move
off at 7-30 AM tomorrow morning.  The Brigade
will occupy 2100 yds in Column of Route so I have a
very nice little command  It is raining this
evening.  I am afraid we will have a sloppy morning
to move off in. These cold days getting up at
5 o'clock is not good for one's health.

28
Saturday April 22^nd
Moved off this morning in the midst of rain - It
has rained all day.  Arrived at Estaires at about 10-30
AM. having made much better time than I expected as
the French roads are so very narrow.  Arrived at our
billets at last but not until the men were wet through &
the horses shivering with cold.   Very bad arrangements
my gunners are in one farm house, my drivers in
another farmhouse half a mile away & the horses
picketed in a wet cold paddock another half mile
further on, while I myself with the Vet officer & young
Rickard are in a very nice house just near the
gunners.  Bye the way my guns & wagons are
left in the road in front of the billet.  I got to my
billet at four o'clock & Madame fried me two eggs
& put bread & butter & jam & hot coffee in front of
a nice fire in my sitting room.  We are getting
nearer the firing line, the noise of the guns is louder
& the windows of this house shake with each discharge.
It is raining heavily now, poor horses they are
feeling it a lot, I expect to have a pretty big sick
parade tomorrow after the wet today, also we are
getting nearer the firing line.
Sunday April 23^rd
Dispatches arrived during the night & so was
up most of the night myself.  Got up for good at
5 a.m. & sent wagons &c off to draw & supply
ammunition as ordered.  A beautiful day

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sun shining brightly & weather beautifully calm
Was watching our aeroplanes trying to cross into the
enemies territory early this morning but they
were kept being driven back by the heavy fire from
areoplane guns.  As many as fifty bursts being
in the air at once.  Got my hands full today.
The Germans were for three months in the district in
which I now am, & Madame who is billetting me says
that they were quite good to her but paid for nothing
they ate.  Certainty the houses about show no signs at
all of any damage.  Last night Madame hearing me
speak a little hoarse, mulled me some wine to
drink & wanted to put a hot compress on my throat
but I was not feeling inclined for such remedies
so thanked her but declined.  Awfully kind of her.
A German Taube brought down one of our aeroplanes this
morning & the pilot was killed shot through the throat but
although the observer escaped injury the machine was very
badly smashed.  It is lying just across the road.  A shell
fell near the horse lines.  The number of guns for
aeroplanes is enormous.
Monday April 24^th
Another beautiful morning  Was up early & was
catching the aeroplanes being shelled.  A German Taube
Sunday April 23^rd  was brought down by one of
our machines with the pilot killed.  Sent my
guns away this afternoon to an English Battery ^879 & I
have taken over the guns of the 20^th Bty.  Every thing
very peaceful here except for sounds of firing

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Tuesday April 25^th
Another beautiful day, just such another day
as it was twelve months ago, but oh what a
difference in my surroundings.  Stayed in all day
in case orders might come along to move.  Sent cooks
cart up to Lloyd at the firing line in the evening with
48 hours rations as he has not got any & has no
transport at his disposal to draw any.  Orders come
at last to move tomorrow night up to the firing line.
Wednesday April 26^th
A magnificent day.  Preparing for the move
tonight.  I am leaving here at 6 PM.
Thursday April 27^th
Left Estaires last night at 6-30 PM. & marched
at a walk to our billets which are about a miles from
Fleurbaix.  Got our wagons parked and the horselines
down by 10 PM.  I put the men into their billets
& put my luggage into the cooks cart & getting in
myself drove to my guns which are in position
300 yds away from the village of Fleurbaix where
I am billeted in an inn kept by an old lady &
her daughter aged 22 who has a habit of coming
into ones room at all times - very uncomfortable
sometimes.
Well I slept well last night & this morning
I visited my gun pits & made myself acquainted
with my surroundings.  The guns are in
very good pits but I am going to improve them
as soon as I can get material.  I am