Papers of Edgar Sydney Worrall - Wallet 1 - Part 3

11. 
24/6/16. (contd) evening we raided the dummy practice trenches. 
About 11 a.m the artillery on both sides opened up. 
25/6/16. New Zealanders and 5th Brigade had a most successful 
raid on German Trenches. 2 German Officers captured,  
and 5 men. Big shells dropped in our billets but 
only 1 in ten went off. 
26/6/16. Witnessed a great piece of air work this afternoon. 
A good number of planes were up consisting of 4 
battle planes & 8 or so scouts. All of a sudden 
they made for four captive balloons. In a minute 
three were in flame and the fourth came down 
a bump. 32 altogether came down along the British 
line. 
27/6/16. Went up to the trenches and saw the place where 
we are to go out on the raid. Had a look at the 
trench in front & the landmarks in No Man's Land. 
Went out to dummy trenches in the evening. 
28/6/16. Went for a bath and had some revolver practice 
in the evening. Getting ready for tomorrow night. 
Had a fairly light day of it. 
29/6/16. Tonight's the night we go and raid Fritz's trenches 
at 11 o'clock. If we come back this page will not  
be sufficient to write my experiences. If not my 
diary will end here:- 
Later in England - I proved a true prophet. 
These next few pages were added later in hospital 
in England - 
30/6/16. Shortly after midnight we went over & had a merry 
fifteen minutes in Fritz's  trenches. On the way back 
I was wounded by a piece of shell in the left leg. 
Stretcher, Ambulances & train to Boulogne ..... 
1/7/16. In a good deal of pain but bucked up with the news 
that I would not lose my leg. Expect to get across 
to "Blighty" tomorrow. 
2/7/16. Crossed to Dover by H.S. "Dennis". Got a great 
welcome in London & continued to Norwich. Sent to 
Norfolk & Norwich Hospital..... 
19/7/16. Operated on & leg stitched up. 
5/8/16.  Left Norwich for No.1. A.A.H. at Harefield.... 
12/10/16. Finished with Hospital at last. Not at all sorry 
to leave the place. Went to Perham Downs Salisbury. 
13/10/16. Getting ready for furlough tomorrow. 
14/10/16. Start furlough. Am free for a fortnight. 
28/10/16. Back again at Perham Downs after the best fortnight 
of my life. The bed seems very hard tonight. 
 1/11/16. Left Perham Downs for new camp at Wareham in Dorset. 
10/12/16. Left Wareham & entrained near midnight for Folkstone.

12. 
11/12/16. Arrived at Folkstone early this morning and embarked 
for France at about 2 p.m. Arrived at Boulogne late 
in the afternoon and spent night in rest camp on the 
outskirts of the town. 
12/12/16. Left Boulogne and entrained for Etaples. A.P.O. 
6.13. B.E.F. Arrived soon after noon and met many 
old friends. 
13/12/16. Medical inspection and first experience of the famous 
"Bull Ring" 
............ 
16/12/16. Long route march in the morning. Afternoon off .... 
........... 
19/12 16. Went through a course with the Lewis Automatic 
Machine Gun at the Bull Ring ...... 
........... 
21/12/16. Expect to go up the line tomorrow. Issued with 
steel helmet, gas helmet, fur coat, fur mitts, and 
such articles which swill tend to defeat Jack Frost 
& his horrors. 
22/12/16. Left Etaples ( C/0 A.P.O. S. 17. 2nd A.D.B.D.) early 
this morning and entrained. Had two meals aboard 
and did things rather well. Arrived at Albert late 
in the afternoon and camp outside the effigy of the 
Virgin still hanging down from the Church tower. 
We have no blankets tonight and expect to sleep cold. 
23/12/16. Move out of Albert soon after lunch and go to Sydney 
camp. All we can see is a sea of mud. We have no 
blankets & no ration so we are not in a very enviable 
position. 
24/12/16. Still at Sydney Camp. Manage to get a few rations & 
light a fire in the hut. Sent down to the Canteen 
and made quite a respectable meal. Whilst I am 
writing this the others are trying to sing a few  
Christmas carols..... 
25/12/16. Moved out of Albert after breakfast and move up to 
Adelaide Camp where the Battalion is stationed. They 
have been on the Somme since November 4th & do not 
expect to get relieved for a month. Arrive just in   
time for dinner and find a dozen letters & four
parcels waiting for me. What a lot of the lads have 
made the supreme sacrifice. 
26/12/16. Spent a quite day looking up old friends in the 
various companies. All my old fellow Sgts. who have 
survived the fight have commissions. I suppose my  
turn will come some day. 
27/12/16. Moved up into a new Camp nearer the firing line. 
The mud was pretty bad in places and several were 
bogged. This part of the Somme is nortorious for 
mud and slush. As I write the big guns are booming 
out all around us.

13. 
28/12/16. Up towards the line on railroad work. Big shells 
dropping around us 8 to 11 inch stuff. Blew a few 
unfortunates up and dismantled a gun. None of our 
party were hit. 
29/12/16. A German aeroplane dropped a couple of bombs here.. 
Big guns spoke frequently during the night. 
30/12/16. Explored some old German dugouts and gunpits. An 
8" German howitzer is dismantled here and near by is 
a large dugout full of ammunition. These holes were 
built of Krupp steel, concrete & earth, but our boys 
drove them out in the big push. 
31/12/16. Up building a light railroad behind the line. Our 
guns did a lot of work. Each battery put over a 
couple of hundred shells during the morning. Fritz 
replied with heaving stuff during the afternoon and 
caught five of our gunners. We are awaiting the 
coming of the New Year. It is nearly midnight now. 
............................................................... 
And now little book you have done your work. What 
tales you could tell could you only speak. For 
thousands of miles you have been my constant companion. 
The burning sands and heat of Egypt, the salt water 
of the Mediterranean, the mud & rains of France have 
made you look very rough and of little value, still 
in after years in spite of your short-comings, we may 
spend pleasant hours together, going over all our 
adventures together  - Our bright days and jolly days 
and sad  and melancholy days:- All the fine fellows 
we knew who have given their lives for the country. 
The nights we have had together and the sorrow we 
knew when one of our dearly beloved comrades went 
away to join the great majority. Under various 
circumstances have I jotted down short notes on your 
well worn pages. Some of them have been smeared out 
of all recognition. At other times I have been so 
busy or times have been adverse to my entering notes 
at all. Nevertheless the scenes are very vivid and 
blank or page filled I can never forget them. Now 
I  send you once more across the equator to the land 
of the Golden Wattle - hoping to follow you before 
this new year ends. At times things were too 
strenuous to make entries and there are regrettable 
gaps in your pages. Nevertheless you will be 
invaluable to me in after years and with my best 
wishes for your safety I send you to join your 
companion of 1915.