Handwritten transcript of diaries of Apcar Leslie De Vine, 1 January 1915 - 6 October 1918, Part 17 of 26
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27/9/16 Easy day, nothing doing in afternoon
28/9/16 Heavy day. 7 hours instructing, finished 7.15pm
29/9/16 Six hours instructing
30/9/16 Another full day
1/10/16 Sunday Managed to catch an easy day, one
hours duty only 10.30-11.30. Visited Paris Plage in the
afternoon returned to camp 9.30pm
2/10/16 Rained continually all day, wet through, very cold
all day, as we are situated close to the sea shore the
wind here is very keen
3/10/16 Easy day. 4 hours instructing only, rained all
the morning making everything very muddy & miserable
4/10/16 Rained steadily all day. 3 hours work in morning
off during the afternoon
5/10/16 Rained during the morning, everybody wet through
full days work
6/10/16 Free day today. Full days work = 6 hours
7/10/16 Rained heavy all day. Heavy storm during afternoon
wind very violent. Full days work
8/10/16 Sunday No parade today. Visited Etaples afternoon
9/10/16 Full day today. Very cold & windy
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10/10/16 Half days work only
11/10/16 First relief of trenches in the morning. Three
hours bombing instruction in the afternoon
12/10/16 Full days work. 6 hours
13/10/16 Work only in morning, afternoon off
14/10/16 On Road control all day
15/10/16 Sunday Nothing doing today for the first time
visited Etaples in the afternoon
16/10/16 Hours of work changed from 9.30am untill
2pm without a break, then finish for the rest
of the day
17/10/16 Worked the full 5 hours, heavy rain all night
18/10/16 Five hours duty today
19/10/16 Easy day. During afternoon Members of the
A.I.F. were given leave to visit the 1st Div
Base Camp at Etaples to record their vote on
the question of conscription in Australia
20/10/16 Four hours duty today. Very frosty early
this morning, the coldest day yet
21/10/16 Four hours duty today. Very cold day with
a heavy frost during the night
22/10/16 Sunday No duty today. Day in Etaples
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23/10/16 Today vey much warmer. Visited today by the
King of the Belgians and a host of high army officers etc
everybody extra smart today
24/10/16 Four hours instructing today, work now much easier
25/10/16 Two hours instructing today
26/10/16 Two hours instructing tody
27/10/16 Heavy rain all day, vy cold, wet through
28/10/16 Still raining heavily, everywhere flooded, very cold
& miserable. The bull ring in parts is under water, we
walked the full circuit today, & have to be out in all
weathers as the drafts must be got ready for the line
in their allotted time, owing to the heavy casualties on
the Somme. The drafts are continually arriving from
England & are being passed quickly through our hands
29/10/16 Sunday Very cold today. Full dress parade at 2 o/c
for a review by the Duke of Conaught who is passing through
from Bologne. everything OK
30/10/16 The weather is now gradually getting vey cold, and
the wind blowing very keen, Full days work
31/10/16 Only two hours work today. Very cold
1/11/16 Four hours work today
2/11/16 Three hours work today, warned that my relief
had arrived, paraded before CO & received orders to
rejoin my IB Depot. Reported to IB Depot at 6pm
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Ordered to rejoin my Bn, full marching order
at 1.30pm reported to R.T.O. 2pm, the train did
not leave untill 4pm. Train eventually left very
late & crawled very slowly with frequent stops, we spent
the whole night in the train. We are not informed
of our destination, have no knowledge where we are
going. Paid 40F=£1.8.8 for the journey
4/11/16 All day in train, we stopped for long periods
at several stations & sidings, after settling down & making
ourselves comfortable for the night, we were suddenly
called at midnight, and all members of the A.I.F.
had to get out, on to a very dark platform without even
a glimmer of light, we enquire of a sleepy "Tommy" where
we are & much to our surprise it turns out to be
Albert. we camped for the night in the railway
goods yard
5/11/16 Sunday Left Albert in the afternoon after drawing a
box helmet from the D.A.D.O.S. & passed through
the gas chamber to test it. We marched off late in
the afternoon for Div Hdqrs 6 miles away, eventually
found them near Mametz Wood where we camp for
the night. The country all around is very muddy &
we hear that the forward area is much worse
& one huge sea of mud constantly being churned up
by shell fire. The firing line by now has been
pushed on & is now past Flers passing in front
of Bapaume.
6/11/16 Draft moved off at 10am to find Brigade
Hd Qrs. The country side is now one huge sea of mud
sunk up to my knees twice and had to be hauled out
Having found the Brigade we are passed on to the Bn
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which we reached at 2pm. My Coy was in the line
and as they are being relieved tonight, I did not join
them but waited for them to be relieved, at Delville
Wood, where the Bn will rest, they arrived about
midnight. The sector of the line the Brigade is holding
is in front of Flers with Bapaume in the distance
The whole country is a mass of mud & shell holes filled with
water, debris, etc. [[Ours?]] was relieved by the 2nd Bn.
7/11/16 Spent all day resting & removing some of the mud
off ourselves. Rained all day everybody wet through,
this winter promises to be very sevear & wet
8/11/16 Still behind Delville Wood, detailed for fatigue
party to the line in the evening
9/11/16 Sun shining a little today, no rain. Paid 80F
=£2.17.4
10/11/16 Sun shining all day, weather much improved, am
detailed with a party to visit the firing line, to find
our Coy position as we expect to be returning in a day
or two. This work was done in daylight, fortunately
without any casualties although we were sniped at
several times while racing among the shell holes being
under observation from their advance posts. Returned
to the Coy late in the evening.
11/11/16 Very good day, sun shining for about 5 hours, ground
much better & drying quickly but a keen wind blowing. An
aeroplane fight took place over our camp during the
afternoon, the Taube falling in flames just inside our
lines, the boys cheering our aviator when he returned
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12/11/16 Sunday Orders issued for us to prepare to
leave tomorrow morning. We are moving further back
from the support line to the reserves. Detailed for
Coy O Sgt for a week
13/11/16 Moving off at 10am to the reserve position two
miles in the rear, being relieved in close support
by the 52nd Bn. We camp for the night in Burnafay
Wood & occupy old german dug outs
14/11/16 Moved off at 10am and marched to Nissen
huts at Frecourt Farm just outside Albert where
we remain for the rest of the day
15/11/16 Moved off at 10am, passed through the
outskirts of Albert & the villages of Meaulte &
Bernacourt to Buire-sous-Corbie a few miles
outside Albert
16/11/16 In village all day, expect to be on the march
again tomorrow going even further back, as we now
expect to get a few days rest
17/11/16 Left Buire full marching order at 11am to a
point about 1 mile outside the village, where we
find motor busses who took us about 20 miles, after
passing through many villages & the outskirts of
Amiens we eventually stop at the village of
Flesselles, where we are billeted in the village
The weather now is very cold, snow fell during
the night
18/11/16 Parade 9.30am & 2.30pm each day, very
cold, village covered with snow this morning, later
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in the afternoon it started to rain, melting the snow
& turning the village into a huge quagmire
19/11/16 Sunday Village very muddy, raining slowly all
day. Church parade held in a field, we all got very
wet. Completed duties of Co O Sgt tody
20/1/16 Two parades daily 9 - 11.30 & 2 - 4.30 very muddy
& raining, parades held in billets, lectures given on the
Lewis gun etc
21/11/16 Two parades. Practice Coy in attack by waves
of platoons
22/11/16 Two parades & route march
23/11/16 Two parades as usual. Quiet day
24/11/16 Full muster parade. Anzac colours distributed
today in the form of a golden A in the centre of the
Bn colours
25/11/16 Detailed for Bn Ord Sgt for the next 24 hours,
easy day, nothing doing, still very muddy
26/11/16 Sunday Relieved R O S G Sgt of B Coy at 9am
Visited Amiens with Sgts Curran & Mills and Cpls Palmer &
Goldwater walking all the way, a distance of 13 kilometres
arriving there about 12.30 after eluding the picquets that
are stationed on the road, as the town is out of bounds
We all succeeded in having a good time. Have no idea
of what happened after 5 pm. I woke up during the
night while an air raid was in progress on the city
and found myself with Sgt Curran under arrest
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in the city guard room, for having dined too well
27/11/16 Sgt R Crawford was sent from the Bn to
be our escourt & to bring us back to Flesselles
he arrived at 12.30. We spent the rest of the day
together in Amiens, having a good time, caught
the 7.30 buss at the station arriving at the Bn
about 9pm where we reported & were placed
under close arrest by the R S M Stewart
28/11/16 Placed under the escourt of Sgt Davidson
Attended Bn orderly room during the day, and
remanded by the Colonel for a District Court
Martial. Summary of evidence taken today
29/11/16 Sgt Davidson escourt, we can move about the
village very freely taking exercise, but we are exempt
from all duties.
30/11/16 Sgt Beale escourt tody. We are not having a
bad time, as we are exempt from all duties so
we pass our time away in the estaminets all day
while the rest of the Coy is on parade. We are
leaving tomorrow for the Somme early in the
morning
1/12/16 Revelle 3am. Packed up full marching order
marched to Vignacourt where we arrived at day
break we have had no breakfast, & expected to
catch the train at 6am, but it did not arrive
until 12.15am. During the long wait many men
wandered into the village where they obtained plenty
of rum, & as they had no breakfast, this took
quick effect on their empty stomachs, many returned
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heavily drunk, about half the Bn must have been
affected. When the train was about to leave a strong
picquet entered the village to gather up the drunks
those not capable of walking were wheeled on to the
parade ground in hand carts & tossed out on top of'
one another like sacks, much to the ammusement of
all of us. After gathering up all they could the picquet
returned, but we left several men behind, we left
at 12.30. The journey was very merry as there were
many bottles of rum with us real "fire water" which
has a bad effect on empty stomachs. We reached a siding
near Mericourt about 4pm & marched to Ribemont
where we were billeted.
2/12/16 Placed under open arrest today, & attend all
parades, an hours march during the morning & a bathing
parade in the afternoon at Heilly about 5 kilometres
away, where the baths are situated in an old brewery
the huge beer vats make excellent baths about
20 men getting in together
3/12/16 Sunday Church parade in morning, nothig else
doing all day
4/12/16 Two parades today, morning parade Bn drill by the Co
afternoon parade attack by [[waves?]] of Coys
5/12/16 Warned that our F G Court Martial is to be held
at 10am, attended court at 9.45am. President of the Court
Major Watson 2nd Bn, other members Capt Woodman 4th Bn
& Lt Edgley 2nd Bn. Pleaded not guilty & made no statement
We were only charged with being in Amiens & out of bounds
without a pass on the 26 & 27/11/16. Evidence of good character
given by Lt Hill. Lt McKeiran & Capt Judge all officers
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of A Coy. Case concluded during the morning. We are
awaiting the confirmation of the verdict.
6/12/16 Under orders to move off during the morning
marched off full marching order at 8am & marched
to Frecourt arriving at midday then continued on to
Melbourne Camp at Mametz where we are billeted
This camp is very muddy the whole country being
a sea of mud
7/12/16 Detailed for ROS, mounted at 9am, easy
day, verdict of Court Martial in orders tonight, we are
reduced to the rank of Cpl, with loss of seniority
from March to 5/12/16 BO 342 & forfeit 1 days pay
we think that we got out of it lightly
8/12/16 Dismounted ROS 9am, did nothing rest of the
day, raining all day
9/12/16 Out with a fatigue party building roads all
day, made with bricks of the ruined houses etc, very
wet & muddy day, terribly cold, rained all night
10/12/16 Sunday Very wet & cold, no parade today
11/12/16 Two parades today in huts, morning & afternoon
lectures given, to wet to leave huts
12/12/16 Fatigues all day
13/12/16 Two parades during the day
14/12/16 Fatigues all day
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