Diary of 262 Lance Corporal Alexander Lyall - Part 4

29/6/16

Things are usual today

I went to see John & had
just heard his leave had
been postponed. We are leaving

our billets tonight & going 

farther back for a rest.

It will be nice to be

away from the danger

zone for a few days.

After a four miles walk

we are again in billets

behind Erquintham in a

nice quiet part of the

country

1/7/16

Things are very quiet

here & we have a very

easy time. I am teaching

signalling most of the 

day & the men in the rank

are getting fighting drill.

Our men look better now 

than I have ever seen them

& ready for anything.

The combined British & French

offensive starts today but

so far there is no news

of results

News to hand today

reports out offensive to

be progressing favourably

on a 25 miles front having

advanced about 2 miles

recaptured about 2000

prisoners & stores

Aeroplanes are busy 

round our direction

22 passed over our billets

last night on their way 

toLille where I believe

they did considerable damage

to the station. All returned safely

5/2/16

Still resting & everything 

quiet. News of offensive

very encouraging, the

British & French both still

advancing having taken

the first line of defence & battling

at the second. Russian still

doing well & Italians keeping

their end up

We are having good 

weather & the country is

beautiful. Round about

us are numerous fruit

trees all now public property

 

8/7/16

We left our billets today

to start towards the south

We had a 15 miles march

through beautiful country

& billetted again for the 

night. The men stuck

the march very well

only a very few falling

out. I passed Thomson 

of Grace Bros on the arch

I expect we will get 

near the front where 

the big push is going on

very soon

11/7/16

We have just finished

a long march. We have

been on the road since Sunday

& covered 42 miles by road

& 10 hours in the train. We

walked through several

village & a few large town

In the train we passed

Calais & Boulonge. Having 

a nice view of the sea. It 

made me feel quite homesick

We are billetted now near near

Amiens, It is a fine big

town larger than Sydney but

very deserted at present

16/7/16

After three quiet days

at our last billet we 

moved today for a few miles

nearer the firing line

but not quite near 

enough to hear the guns

yet. I don't think we 

will stop in our present

billets too long & I won't be

sorry when we make a 

further move as there is

nothing to interest one here

& it gets on your nerves

after being used to excitement

The allies are still moving 

forward with success. 

We are moving up the

Somme & expect to have

something to do soon

All at home OK by last

mail

18/7/16

We move a few miles

near the Germans today

& are at present billeted in

a quiet village called

Rubenpre. We don't expect

to be here long. We are

now within sound of our

guns which seems to be

firing continually.

Had a note from Jack. He is

following us up & I hope to

see him again soon.

Willie is not in this

direction so have little chance

of seeing him for a while

19/7/16

Another move still far

out of danger Our next

move ought to take us to

the firing line. We arrived

today at a village called

Warloy. A lot of the wounded

are brought here for treatment

before being send further back.

We will only stay here a

few days& have always 

to be ready to move on

short notice. The country

round about is all under

cultivation & everything points

to a good harvest

 

22/7/16

We moved again today but 

not to billets this time We

arrived at Alberts about

6.30 tonight & are now

out in the open behind

the lines. Our 1^st & 3^rd Bdes

are attacking tonight with the

2^nd Bde in Reserve.

The bombardment survivors

to the attack is going 

on now. They have a 

hard task in front of

them & I hope they succeed

we expect to go in at

any minute then the fun

will commence

23/7/16

The bombardment increased 

as the night went on 

& at the time the sky was one 

blaze of light. News this 

morning reports our fellows

to have been very successful

having captured a 

village and a wid. This 

part of the line was strong

& could not be previously

forced back. Our casualties were

fairly heavy but

a great many were

light wound. There

seems to be an unlimited

supply of men & munitions

about & Frits is getting

a very warm time for

this direction. Fighting 

here is very severe & one

will be extremely lucky 

to get through with a

whole skin but we are

here to take our chance

be it good or bad & for

one will do my best not

to worry One has more

hope to go in & do his best. 

The the Bombers are staying about

 

24/7/16

Fighting still going on & the

Australians are still advancing

Our causalities have been

fairly heavy but the numbers

killed has not been great.

We came into the reserve

line tonight & expect to get

in the trenches tomorrow

I have been in several 

of the German dugouts

here one up to 60 feet

deep & furnished like a

house with beds stoves

electric light etc. They must

have thought their position impregnable

they did not male on with our artillery

                     25.7.16

These notes I am writing

several days after while

waiting for the train to take

me down the line

We came in the support

trenches tonight making

our way there through a

heavy shell line & [[chasing?]] 

every minute to be on last

At 2 oclock in the morning

we occupied a trench

& got a few hours things

were fairly quite Later

in the day the Huns

concentrated his fire on

our trench bombardiers

for five hours & levelled

the trench with the [[graxx?]]

We had a heavy casualty

here about eight [[?]] there

were only four left in our

position of the trenches. I

helped several to the first aid

post, others were beyond aid

Carried away one of my [[?]]

with both legs broken Removing

wounded was hard work

under the shell fire & the 

condition of the trench We

had orders to leave the

trench at 8.301m & I went

to the front line where a

bombing duel was going

on Matters were little 

better here the enemy was

in the end of our trench

& we had to get him out

again. It was like a

butchers shop I never saw

such slaughter in my life

Once while I was down in 

the thick of it with flares 

two bombs burst between

my le legs. sending the 

flares up in the air. How

I escaped with only a

few small wounds on the 

legs & hip has still got

me puzzled. Several men

near me never moved

again others were carried

away with legs & so on

blown away. The fight

lasted until 6 oclock the

following morning we having

driven Fritz back in his own

trenches. His losses were

very heavy of that I am

quite sure I settled down 

for a few hours rest being 

quite worn out.

             27/6/16

Today has been artillery 

fighting & after previous

events one takes little

notice. Tonight take

a party out (to what we

call no man's land

between our trenches & 

the enemy) to dig fresh

trench & prepare for an

attack tomorrow night.

Everything goes well

until daybreak when our

men were seen & Fritz

open fire. Meantime

they commence to bomb

the end of our trench again

& things are very warm

Men are being blown to

pieces on both sides but

we are holding the enemy

back. Our stocks along is 

blown out by the Huns

several being wounded

& the battle is very hot.

Another gun is now in 

position & doing splendid

work. The Huns have

fallen back & things getting

better. Fearful explosion 

near me and I though I

was up in the clouds. it was

an accident on our guns

which has blown itself

up carrying everything

with it. Things quieter

now & I sit down to have 

a snack of dinner (time

about 12.30pm. Just got

the first mouthful when

whizz bang & hit on the 

face with shrapnel

& my nose has been

broken but the rest of 

my face is undamaged

I get bandaged up

& make my way out

of the trench towards

aid post on the way

down I am helped 

along with a stretcher

bearer & eventually reach

our own Divisional

rest camp While seeing

the doctor I do a girl's 

trick & faint while he

was fooling about with

my nose. I come round 

feeling very sick & later

I am carried to bed

Had a good sleep -

feel much better this 

morning I am now 

waiting for the train to

take me further back

I have had my go at

warfare on the Somme

& seen present day warfare

I am not sorry I have

been there nor am I

sorry to be away from it

I am lucky to have got

of so lightly I shan't 

complain.

 

      4/8/16 & previous

After leaving divisional camp I came

a short way down the line

where I had a shrapnel bullet

taken out of my nose. I had

to go under some sort of 

gas & had no pain. From thee

I went to a Hospital at Rouen

to recuperate before going on the

boat. I was there a day & a

half taking the train from

Rouen to Havre where I

got on the Hospital ship

"Salta" bound for Dublin

I had a good trip to

Dublin the weather

being beautiful & I am

at present very comfortable

in bed in a nice Hospital

in Dublin being well

looked after & quite happy

On my way to Hospital I

had a sight of the result

of the recent rebellion here

things must have been

lively while they lasted.

 

The past few days have

been spent very quietly

I have had a look through

Dublin & find it similar to

other city I have seen nothing

of special note with the 

exception of the ruins left

by the Rebels. I am at

present sleeping in my

Ward where the [[xx?]]

were taken who were

wounded in the fight there

are several of them still

in the Hospital although