Diary of George Booley, 5th Battalion, AIF, 1917, Part 9 of 19

MONDAY, JUNE 4, 1917.
23rd Week.
(155-210)

Morning parade as usual, the
Officer was away again, he looks
after the Officers Mess & buys beer
for the Canteen.  In the afternoon
I had a bath & did a little washing.
In the evening there was a concert
down at the boxing ring there
were some amusing items especially
a boxing bout between
Morton & a seventh chap
Morton was about 3 parts drunk
& he got a great pasting but
took it in good humour.
 

TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 1917.
23rd Week.
(156-209) Trinity Law Sittings begin.

Morning parade The usual
thing, another list for leave
went in this is about the
100^th that has gone in 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 1917.
23rd Week.
(157-208)

The usual parade, in the after
noon Gen Birdwood presented
decorations he was accompanied
by Andy Fisher, there was
a parade called for to be present
at the decorations but we
were missing in the scrub
________

June 7^th
into a stronghold & it certainly
was a nasty place to attack
we thought last year that we
would be attacking there, when
in one particular part of the
line you could almost hear
your footsteps echo from the
tunneled parts underneath
where mines were set by both
sides, it must have been
Terrific when they went up.
 

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 1917.
23rd Week.
(158-207) Corpus Christi.

Morning parade, we got in
touch with some of the 6^th Bde
Sigs they had Helio & we had
lamp, C. Coy ran again for best
Coy 150 of each Coy, then the judges
picked 50 of them the other Battalions
the same points were scored
by the first 30 to finish 30 for 1^st
man down to 1 for last, our Coy
got 16 men home out of the 30
& won by about 40 points.  The
afternoon very sultry & thundery.
News came to hand of an attack by
the Second Army in Belgium
in the region of Ypres, just about
a year ago we were on the same
front & let gas go from opposite
Messines, this place has been
for nearly 3 years being [[narade?]] 

FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 1917.
23rd Week.
(159-206)

Parade in morning & in after
noon played the stretcher bearers
cricket beating them badly
scores 134 to 42.  Still good
news coming from up North.
 

SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 1917.
23rd Week
(160-205)

Morning parade in the afternoon
Battalion held sports, in the
evening details played Cooks
Cricket beating them by about
a dozen runs. 

SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 1917
24th Week.
(161-204) 1st after Trinity. LESSONS. 
Matins - Joshua iii. v 7 to iv. v 15 ; John xix. to v 25
Evensong - Joshua v. v 13 to vi. v 21 or xxiv. ; James ii.

Church parade in morning &
a short route march, in the
afternoon the 21^st & 24^th played
football, I met Jack Smout at the
match with his Brother Sid
who is in my Bn.
 

MONDAY, JUNE 11, 1917.
24th Week
(162-203) S. Barnabas. LESSONS.
Matins - Deuteronomy xxxiii. to v 12 ; Acts iv. v 31..
Evensong - Nahum i. ; Acts xiv. v 8.

Bde Sports all day, it was a great
day out but was spoilt by the un-
sportmanlike ways of one Battalion
who would in in case have won
most of the events.  We had a team
in the Signalling Competition but
up till now I do not know who
scored most points, I am almost
certain we did not, another event
we had a team for but the Bn I
mentioned before had it spoilt
by a dirty trick so we did not
compete, it was our Bns unlucky
day, we won scarcely anything
but got second in nearly every
thing, however that is better than
nothing, after we sports we played
cricket

TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 1917.
24th Week.
(163-202)

Divisional sports today
first day, it is a two days programme
today was heats only,
there was some very good running
& quite a large gathering
every unit of the Div being
well represented.  The sports
ground was on part of the
Henencourt estate alongside
a lovely wood, from the flat
where the races were held
the ground rises very abruptly
& is cut away in kind of terraces
these made it an ideal place
to watch the sports from. There
were many comic characters
men dressed as women etc & some
of them were good particularly
one General & Lady Birdwood.
 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 1917.
24th Week
(164-201)

Second day of sports a
big gathering, teams, both gun
limber & wagon also Cookers were
keenly contested, there was also
hurdles for hacks, the foot running
was good we had very few
wins the most notable being
the Cooker.  Tot Booley was over
he is still with the Pioneer
Bn as a signaller & expects
to get a transfer to the Div motor
supply column provided his
Bn will grant the transfer.
There were many comic characters
again today, there were
also some French people as
spectators.  In the evening a
pretty heavy Bombardment
was taking place up the line. 

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 1917.
24th Week.
(165-200)

Still some of the sports to
finish, some bombing competition
in which three 3^rd Bde men were
wounded by a premature burst,
we had the usual morning
parade.  In the afternoon Cap.
Happy, Gordon, Fergie, Eric, Bill
& myself had our photos
taken in a group, by an
old man in Warloy.
 

FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 1917
24th Week.
(166-199)

Parade as usual in the
morning, weather getting pretty
warm now, news coming to hand
of the air raid on London in
which many children & women
were killed, until our people
do the same for him he will not
stop it.  We were to have played
the 8^th football in the evening
but they did not turn up. 

SATURDAY, JUNE 16, 1917.
24th Week.
(167-198)

Morning parade on which
we were paid, in the evening
we were to have played the
7^th Cricket but could not get
a ball, our cooks eventually
came to light with one & challenged
us to play for the price of
a barrel of beer but pulled out
when we said yes, however
we played a game but smashed
the ball up before the game
finished, of late we have been
having a shower each
night & feel well on it.
 

SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 1917.
25th Week.
(168-197) 2nd after Trinity. LESSONS.
Matins - Judges iv. ; Acts ii. to v  22.
Evensong - Judges v. or vi. v 11 ; 1 Peter ii. v 11 to iii. v 8.

Church parade in morning
followed by church parade
route march.  In the afternoon
we were busy packing up ready
for a move. 

MONDAY, JUNE 18, 1917.
25th Week.
(169 - 196)

Moved at 6 oclock through
Henencourt, Senlis, then skirmished 
across to Englebelmer, then
marched through Mailly-
Maillet to a camp, the day was
very hot & thundery & made the
march rather unpleasant.
The afternoon I put in salvaging
wire & pulling it out.
 

TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 1917.
25th Week.
(170-195)

Reveille at 4 A.M. started off
at about 5.30 for an imaginary
attack on the Village of Hedauville
it rained nearly all the time we
were out, there was also plenty of
thunder and lighting, we got
back to camp about 1. PM. feeling
very tired.  As there is a night
operation on we are not going
to bed as we expect to go out
any time.  We have been expecting
our mail for days but so far no
luck, this causes more growling
than anything.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 1917.
25th Week.
(171-194) 

After waiting up all
night we did not get marching
orders till one oclock, we started
out at & just got going as it
started to rain we got nearly
through Mailly & got orders
to return to camp getting to
bed about half past three,
plenty of growling.  Fell in at
12 noon & started out to do
the postponed operation,
attacking Auchonvillers from
the direction of Thiepval, it
proved a heavy afternoons
work we arrived back about
6.30 feeling very miserable, but
came round on getting some
mail my share being about a
dozen, one from Harry saying he
has been in action.
 

THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 1917.
25th Week.
(172-193) Longest Day.

Reveille again at
4.A M. moved about 5.30 through
Mailly, Englebelmer, to Mesnil
then a Bde attack on Auchonvillers
it was a long morning
but not quite as hard as yesterday 
afternoon, we finished about
noon, everyone growling much
as they look on this sort of
thing as rot 

FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 1917,
25th Week.
(173-192)

Much to our surprise
this morning the Bn went out
on Field manouvres & left us
in to train as we wished, I
was left in charge, it rained
on & off all day & we put in
a good deal of time inside
the huts doing buzzer practice.
 

SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 1917.
25th Week.
(174-191)

This morning again we
were left in & the Bn went out,
in the afternoon we got out &
started practice when we got
orders to fall in & parade with
the Bn we got together & went
out to them, the Major had
nothing to say, any delay of
this kind usually brings
down the wrath of all & sundry
on our heads, but the Major
only smiled.  Serg. Raymond
& Serg Dixon returned.  Sig
Officer went away to School.