Diary of Harold William Riggall 1916 - Part 4

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putting electric light into each pit &c. &c.
It is awfully quiet here, one would never know a
war was on except for the shells that are fired at
the aeroplanes.  Very little firing at all except at
aircraft who have hundreds of shells thrown at
them.  The inhabitants plough their fields all
round my guns & the little shops are open as usual
in the village & beer &c is sold everywhere, but a
drunken man is never seen.  The Germans, as
usual, occupy the better ground & although it is
practically flat yet they are about 5" elevation
from my guns.  Observation is very difficult.
I had an observation station forward but we
got shelled out of that so now I am observing
from the loft of a barn about a mile from the
guns.  I think I will select a tree soon as
they are breaking into leaf & should afford
good shelter soon.  We were gased tonight
but we put on our helmets when word came
through & no one at all suffered any harm.
I expect the Huns thought they would catch
us napping.  They know we are here as they
have been sending us messages by morse, some
of them are insulting & some tell us to go home.
Friday April 28^th
The weather is beautiful but very warm &
I sweat in my winter clothes.  Absolutely nothing
doing to day.  The boys are doing awfully well &
I am very proud of my battery.  We are allowed

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to send one man from the Bde away on leave for
eight days every day.  So I send one from this
battery every sixth day.  I am sending Ibbotson
away tonight to Bradford England as his mother
lives there & she wrote to me asking whether I could
send him home to her as she had not seen him for
five years.  I expect I will be able to give
myself leave in about three months time, but
I am not keen on it as I wont know what
to do with myself if I did go to England.
Saturday April 29^th
Another warm day.  Nothing doing.  The 9^th Bty had
both their observing stations blown in & the wagon line
of the 7^th Bty was shelled.  Doing clerical work all day.
Unable to get out to my forward stations at all.  A
mail came in for 3^rd Bde but nothing for me.
Lloyd sent Langlands (his batman) to the 5^th Bty to
see if there was any mail for us & Bowring (clerk)
told him some letters &c had arrived for us & he had
readdressed them & sent them on so I expect we
will get them in the course of time.  Told him to
keep any more that arrive & send them on to us by
a mounted orderly.  One soldier, a woman &
three children were killed by a shell yesterday.
Sunday April 30^th
A lovely warm day.  Absolutely nothing doing so
far as we are concerned.  Some by stuff being
thrown over near us this evening but not near
enough to make us feel interested.

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Good Lord!  So that is my little boy!  That roguish
smiling face full of fun & mischief is Bill!  That is the
same boy that I can still picture toddling along grasping
my finger & clutching it very tight every few strides
in case he should fall down.  Well, I suppose it must
be so but it is very hard to believe.
A mail arrived last night, two letters - March 6^th & 7^th
- and Bill's photo.  I think after I had read your
letters through & through I opened the parcel & discovered
the photo of our boy.  I proped it up on my table &
sat up until one o'clock in the early hours of the
morning looking at it. - So thats our son?
I got Bennett up to look at it & he at once remarked
on the likeness which is certainly very striking
even I can see that.  Bennett said "Oh look at his
right hand he holds his fingers the same as you."
What a fine little chap he is dear, & the way you
dress him looks very nice & serviceable.  What
a good dear face he has, & splendid eyes set nice
& far apart too.  He shows his teeth like I do
when he smiles, but pray God he may take after
his Grandfather & not after his father.  Oh Kiddie
dear I am homesick for you all.  I wish I had
as much hair as he has got.  Kiddie dearest it is
awful to think that he won't know me when I return
(Excuse writing we are firing & a shell shakes the house
every now & then).  Darling I want a photo of you
like that.  Get one taken & send it to me.  I am
very lonely without you dearest.

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Monday 1^st May
Everything quiet today as far as the battery is
concerned.  Our village was shelled today.  They were trying
to destroy the church steeple but it is still standing.
Tuesday May 2^nd
Had a bit of a dust up today.  Fired 40 rounds
observation very difficult  Shooting was very good
& most effective.  Sent Bbr Davis to D.A. to attend
class of instruction on aeroplane work.
Wednesday May 3^rd
Quiet day.  A good number of by shells were
thrown by Germans into Fleurbaix but did no
damage beyond destroying a house or two.  Some of the
shells landed within twenty yards of the mens billet.
Thursday May 4^th
Went up to S.V. (my forward observing
station) this afternoon) & on my way up I passed
a small party of infantry - 6^th battalion - One of
them stopped me & said "{You don't remember me
Sir"?  I said "No!  I am sorry to say but I don't
know your face at all."  He replied "I'm Thatcher
Sir, I have often driven you & Mrs Riggall, do you
remember I drove you on your wedding day."
Do you remember him dear, he had red hair?
He asked after you & Bill.  He looked well but like
all of us was a bit dirty.  I had a yarn with
him & went on again.  Funny how one runs
across people.  It brought back old times & made
me very homesick.

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Friday May 5^th
Gen. Birdwood was round my guns this
morning.  I had a long talk with him & he was
kind enough to compliment me on my battery.
Everything very quiet still.  We were shelled a
little this morning in the village, but no harm
resulted.  The Huns were firing gas shells the
fumes from which makes ones eyes sore & watery,
but we use goggles which protect us thoroughly
A cat has had kittens in No 1 gun pit, Sergt.
Morley is annoyed about it for she used his pillow
to be confined on, & it is the only one he has.  All
the family doing well.  My experience in
gardening comes in useful as I have to grow
grass & climbers, creepers & oats round & on top
of my gun pits to hide them from aeroplanes.
At 10 to 8 tonight I was sitting near the phone when
it began to morse through our call so I picked it up &
it was our F.O.O. calling upon me for fire urgently
required in retaliation as the Germans were shelling
our trenches with by stuff.  I replied by firing
onto their trenches & could not stop firing until
9-20.  Quite a happy little evening.  They did
some damage to our trenches but only a few were
killed.  The battery was replied to by the Germans
with "pip squeaks" but their bursts were not very
near us, so they did not find us.
Saturday May 6^th
Mr Hely left me today to go to the

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B.A.C. as second in command & I got Mr Lyne
of the 7^th Bty in his place.  Mr Rickard went
to the 7^th Bty & I got Mr Morgan of the 8^th
Bty in his place.  The changes are necessary
owing to the gradation list of officers having
been altered for the fourth time.  Got a telephone
message from the infantry this morning
congratulating me on my shooting last night
saying it was most accurate & welcome.
Rather pleased to hear it as I was firing into
new trenches & had to work out my angles in
a hurry after we had opened fire.  Fired
29.2 rounds during the shelling.
Sunday May 7^th
A little rain today.  Nothing happened.  Gen.
Hobbs inspected wagon lines & as usual found nothing
correct.  Everybody from Col. downwards hauled over
the coals.  A battery commanders work is taken up
from morning to long after dark with returns &
trivial inquiries, he has no time to shoot his battery
Received papers from Dad.  Found a good tree
for observing station, laid line to it.
Monday May 8^th
Quiet day.  Wind blowing & rain at night.
Find that the worry of being a Bty commander on this
front is awful.  I am a clerk at the beck & call of
everybody.  No time to shoot.  Had to detail two other
men to go to Trench Mortar.  That is now six in
all & I am terribly short of men.  It would be

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much better if the Gen. had the common sense to
take them from the BAC or D.A.C.or reinforcements
rather than from a firing battery in action.
Tuesday May 9^th
Raining a little today  Sent all my
spare gunners down to wagon line to clean
harness for an inspection (Is this war?)
Willie Appleton called to see me last
night.  He looks very well.  Showed him young
Bill's photo.  He is coming tonight for dinner
Wednesday May 10^th
Sent you a cable today "Quite well dearest
all love".  I was not allowed to put "in France".
Quite day fired 19 rounds registering German
trenches on night lines.  Very pleased with myself
as I had laid out the lines hurrudly the other
night during the attack & found them OK on
registration.  Willie Appleton came for dinner
he looks very much burlier than he used to &
seems to like the life as much as any of us do.
Thursday May 11^th
Fired seven (7) rounds into a German
working party this morning & the ones that I
missed ran.  I waited a couple of hours for
them but they never came back.  Got a letter
from Jim Reid today.  Will enclose his letter
& am answering it.  He is as you will see
on an antiaircraft gun stationed at General
H.Q. & having an easy time.

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Friday May 12^th
Spent morning wandering over the country
selecting a position for one of the guns to occupy &
fire from thus not disclosing the permanent
position of the battery.  Sent £10 to F. Davidson
& Co  London for a new micro-telescope they
have got.  It will be invaluable for observation
being exceptionally powerful & very handy &
small & also useful as a night glass.
Gun moved into its new position at dusk.
My majority confirmed vice Routine Order
No 114 dated 11/5/16. -
The following to be 2/Lieuts. -
No 466 Sgt J.L.G. Johnstone dated 9/5/16.
The following Captains to be Majors.
Capt (temp. Major) R.S. Gee, vice Major Burgess
promoted 12/8/16  dated 6/5/16.
Capt (temp Major) H.F. Kingsmill vice Major Caddy
transfd 12/3/16  dated 6/5/16.
Capt (temp. Major) A.H.K. Jopp vice Major Anderson
promoted 12/3/165  dated 6/5/16
Capt (temp Major) T.L. Biddle vice Major Rabbett
transfd 12/3/16  dated 6/5/16
Capt (temp Major) G. McLaughlin vice Major Hughes
transfd 12/3/16  dated 6/5/16
Capt (temp Major) H.W. Riggall vice Major King
transfd 12/3/16  dated 6/5/16

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The following Lieuts to be Captains  dr
Lieut (temp Capt) E.A. Olding vice Capt Biddle
promoted 12/3/16  dated 6/5/16
Lieut (temp Capt) A.B. Sandord vice Capt McLaughlin
promoted 12/3/16  dated 6/5/16
Lieut (temp Capt R.F. Manton vice Capt Riggall
promoted 12/3/16  dated 6/5/16
Lieut (temp Capt) P.J Morgan vice Capt Crespin
transfd 12/3/16  dated 6/5/16
Lieut (temp Capt) H.B. Taylor vice Capt Waite
transfd 12/3/16  dated 6/5/16
Lieut (temp Capt) A.H Raymond vice Capt Jopp
promoted 12/3/16  dated 6/5/16
Lieut (temp Capt) J.R. Eddy vice Capt Kingsmill
promoted 12/3/16  dated 6/5/16
Lieut (temp Capt) J.C. Selmes vice Capt Callaghan
transfd 12/3/16  dated 6/5/16
Lieut (temp Capt) G.L. Strachan vice Capt Gee
promoted 12/3/16  dated 6/5/16
Lieut (temp Capt) A.W. Dodd vice Capt Thurnwaite
transfd 12/6/16  dated 6/5/16
The Colonel called for me last night &
congratulated me on my promotion being
confirmed & told me the following news: -
The artillery of the first Division is to
undergo another change.  I wonder when the
powers that be will finish with us, well to
put it shortly this is what is taking place
dating from 12.1 P.M  on Monday next.

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The 1^st Australian Division of Artillery is comprised
at present of three brigades of 18 pdrs (four batteries
& one B.A.C. resptly) and one brigade of howitzers
(three batteries & a B.A.C).  What is proposed to
be done is as follows: -
Each brigade of 18 pdrs will drop one of
the batteries i.e. the 22^nd Bty from the 1^st Bde, the
23^rd Bty from the 2^nd Bde & the 24^th Bty from the
3^rd Bde, - and in their place will get a
howitzer battery from the howitzer Bde (the
present 21^st Brigade).  So the 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd
Brigades will consist of three batteries of
18 pdrs & one battery of howitzers resptly.
The three batteries of 18 pdrs (the 22^nd
23^rd & 24^th Bties) will form the 21^st Bde of
18 pdrs of the 1^st Aust. Div. & will be under
the Command of Major Stevenson. CM.G.
So if this order comes through alright
my future address will be 24^th Bty 21^st
Field Arty Bde, 1^st Aust. Div.
What it boils down to is that Major
Stevenson transfers his present howitzer
batteries to the 1^st 2^nd & 3^rd Bdes & gets 18 pdr
Bties in exchange.
Saturday May 13^th
Raining today.  Weather too dull for
any observation.  Forgot to say that yesterday
morning I got onto a working party & put
in 28 rds (some H.E) & got a few.