Handwritten transcript of diaries of Apcar Leslie De Vine, 1 January 1915 - 6 October 1918, Part 18 of 26

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15/12/16 Two parades today

16/12/16 Two parades today, lectures in huts

17/12/16 Sunday   Nothing doing today, weather too wet &
cold, only RC Church parade

18/12/16 Easy day, we are warned that we will be
moving towards the firing line tomorrow. Three parcels
arrived today from mother, full of Christmas tucker etc

19/12/16  Moved off at 12 am. A bad accident happened in
B Coys hut just before we left.  A bomb pos placed in the
fire to settle an argument, as to whether it would
explode by heat only & not by detonation. The argument
was easily settled by placing a bomb in the fire, all
gathering around to see the result, it exploded
injuring 6 men very badly & killing two. All the killed
& wounded were Sgt's & CSM^s of A & B Coys. Sgt Laws
& CSM Huxtable of B Coy killed. CSM Doretty of A Coy
very badly injured all the other wounded eventually
recovered. The 19^th reinforcements joined up before
we left, we arrived later in the afternoon at
Bernafay Wood Camp about 3 miles behind the line
near a railway siding

20/12/16  Detailed with advance party to leave full marching
order at 8 am for the reserve trenches behind the line,
where we are to stay for a few days. We are situated in
Gap Trench & Switch Trench where we relieved the 5^th Bn
in the rear of & to the right of Flers. The Bn follows
later in the day. The firing line is straight ahead of
us, just over the sky line. The country here is covered
with snow & shell holes filled with ice, it is terribly
 

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cold, and the wind is very keen. The guns are
bombarding behind us all day, giving Fritz plenty
to think about. Advances cannot be attempted
owing to the nature the country is in due to the
rain, neither side can attack as they could never hope
to pass through the ocean of mud lying between the
trenches, a few raiding parties have made the
attempt & all failed several men being drowned
in the mud & not reaching their objective

21/12/16 Fatigues all day, repairing the duck board
track from Brigade to the line. Mounted trench
guard all night. Big guns still very active

22/12/16 No duties today. The village of Flers heavily
shelled all day, we do not enter the village except
for water, taking a risk from the one well which
is working. The village is smashed to attoms

23/12/16  Entered Flers during the morning with a
fatigue party for water. The village after being
heavily bombarded for several weeks, is absolutely wiped
out of existance, not a wall remaining & it is still
being heavily shelled, we all managed to return to
our trench safely with several tins of water. Our
reserve trench has been several times hit by shell
fire causing many casualties. During the afternoon
was detailed with an officer Mr Turnbull & 2
men, to take our ordinance map. for a little
practice in map reading in the country round about
Flers.  just as we were leaving our trench a
shrapnel shell burst amongst us, hitting all of
the party except me. Mr Turnbull died in a few
minutes  badly hit in the neck. The map reading
 

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class was abandoned, the party being evacuated as
wounded. Luck still with me. Have not yet been
wounded since we first went into action on April
25. 1915 & have not missed a Bn engagement

24/12/16 Sunday Christmas Eve   Big guns very
active all day, there seems to be no chance of us
getting a quiet Christmas. It has been raining
all day, making conditions even worse. Issue of Xmas
puddings tonight with the rations, 1 tin to three men

25/12/16 Christmas Day  Firing line very quiet
although the big guns are active all day. Terribly
muddy & wet. No fatigues today, a very miserable Xmas
raining nearly all day, & everywhere is an ocean of liquid
mud, if you once fall in the chances are that you will
sink in & get drowned

26/12/16 Freezing hard all day & night, terribly cold
On fatigues all day for the engineers, the men now
are getting very bad with their feet, owing to the
effects of the extreme cold & wet causing trench feet
& frost bite. Fatigue party to the firing line at night

27/12/16 Fatigues on duck boards all day, very cold &
freezing all day hard, digging fatigue again to the
firing line all night

28/12/4 Hard frost all night, terribly cold all day
all shell holes are filled with thick ice

29/12/16 Fatigues for engineers on the duck boards all
day, a bit of hard work is the only way to get a little
warmth into us, although we frequently visit the

 

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Y.M.C.A. hut close by for a mug of hot coffee

30/12/16 Fatigues for engineers all day. Warned for the
advance party leaving tonight for our sector of the
firing line, the Bn following tomorrow when we
relieve the 3rd Bn at night. After getting lost &
bogged in the darkness we eventually arrive at
our destination & find our various Coy fronts
which consists not of a continuous firing line, but
of a series of detached posts. A Coy have 4 posts
to man Nos 7-8-9-10. The whole area around
us is one huge mass of mud into which shells
are continually falling causing the mud to splash
& fly as if it were raining pure mud. The
conditions here are very bad & we have to stand
in the mud all night on the outpost retiring
to our shelter dug out at day break

31/12/16 Sunday   All day we have to stay
under ground in a big German dugout. as
no movement must be seen above ground during
day light owing to the constant shelling also it would
show our post to the observers watching for targets
for their guns, & so draw extra shelling on ourselves
A Coy came up after dark & immediately relieved
the 3rd Bn on their outposts near Gears Lane
consisting of strong posts heavily manned with
machine guns, these posts are [[ony?]] large shell
holes, which are the most convenient to hold
as a trench would be absolutely untenable
under these conditions. Our position is on the
left front of Gueudecourt. We are to remain on
post all night. for about 12 hours, returning to
our dug out, in a sunken O road behind us
 

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at day break, where we remain all day, after
posting a guard & the necessary reliefs for the
day we go to sleep. During the night we could
hear the Gormans singing & playing their
musical instruments in their dugouts, they
must be having a good time celebrating the
New Year. At 12 midnight every gun on the
British front opened out for a bombardment of
two minuites as a New Years greetings to Fritz, he
did not reply for a time, then returned the same
compliment

1917

1/1/17 New Years Day   Day started very lively, exactly at
midnight  31.12.16 the guns behind us opened fire on the German
trenches by way of a New Years greeting for two minutes. Fritz
replied later making things very lively for a while, meanwhile
the boys cursed the authorities responsible for the peace
being disturbed, especially at the commencement of a New
Year. After the excitement had toned down, we made
ourselves merry with an extra good tot of rum. It was
terribly cold with heavy frost all night

2/1/17 Occupied our outpost as usuall at dusk, we
were relieved by C & D Coys for 48 hours rest, when we
will return again & relieve them, as our duty consists of
48 hours on post & 48 in close supports. A & B Coys now
occupy the support line at Bulls Trench just opposite Flers
Nos 3 & 4 platoons A Coy were sent to Bn Hd Qrs where we are
billited in a large tunnel dug out of the solid chalk
side of a sunken road opposite the village of Flers, here we
get a little undisturbed sleep for a few hours. Much to
 

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our surprise & indignation, we were all called out at
2 am, to carry hot food up to the outposts, the men
show a very bad temper for being placed on fatigue,
just after being relieved from outposts a few hours
ago, several of them refused duty, the fatigue is
unavoidable as we are the only men available, if we
refuse to go, the outpost will get no food for the day
as they must be rationed before daybreak. After much
grumbling the CO. Col I G Mackay took our party up
to "Fritz's Folly" where D Coy are holding the outpost
we deliver the goods & return by daybreak. The
hot tea & stew are carried in long semi oval
containers which are strapped to our bodies like a long
pack, the full container is very heavy. dy rations are
carried in sand bags. After returning we rest under
ground all day

3/1/17 Bn Hd Qrs heavily shelled during the morning, causing
many casualties. Was standing with a group of my
platoon outside HdQrs where we were changing our
wet socks & rubbing our feet with whale oil, when
a large HE shell fell right in the centre of the
sap leading to Hdqrs, among the men  killing 10 & wounding
12 others. I was wounded for the first time seriously
Two pieces of shell passed through my steel helmet
smashing it to pieces & badly cutting my head & left
hand which is badly knocked about. Was bandaged
up at the Bn dressing station, where we wait for
the shelling to ease up. Have also got shell shock badly
Am now a casualty for the fist time after 28 months
service. Am passed with the other wounded through
the Brigade & Fifth Aust Field Ambulance clearing
stations where we are inoculated against lockjaw,
then we are placed on a lift railway for the
 

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Casualty Clearing Station ot Heilly near Albert, where
we arrive in the early hours of the next morning

4/1/17 Arrived at No 38 CCS early in the morning
about 2 hours before daybreak, where we are attended
to, and our wounds dressed again, we remain here
all day, managed to get some sleep

5/1/17 We left here about 10 am in a hospital train
for Rouen, which travelled very slowly taking all
day to reach the coast. Am now feeling pretty bad
my hand is swelling very much, had to lie down on
a stretcher could hardly stand up. Arrived at Rouen
in the early hours of the next morning. Placed in No 5
General Hospital  Ward 10

6/1/17 In bed all day. Temp rose from 102 to 104 during
the day. pulse 120. Quite a pleasure to get a
little sleep in a clean bed. A piece of shell was
taken from the back of my hand by the sister while
dressing it during the day

7/1/17 Temp this morning fell to 100, rising to 102 in afternoon
pulse 96-98. Hand getting much worse, placed under
X Rays during the afternoon. Hand found to be normal
with finger joints broken, & 3 small pieces of shell still
in the wound. Sunday today

8/1/17 Temp 100 rose to 101, pulse 100 to 108. Hand steadily
getting worse, swelling very much & very painfull

9/1/17 Temp 101 rose to 102, pulse 106 to 112. Hand much
worse today & superating very badly, the Dr has descided to
operate on it tomorrow & open the back of the hand to
 

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remove a large tumour

10/1/17 Temp fell from 102 to 99, after operation rose to 103
& pulse to 120. Operation late in the afternoon, the back
of the hand being opened & about 1/2 pint of matter
and a large abscess removed, also the joint of the 3rd
finger was found to be badly smashed, & may probably
loose the use of it. Did not feel any bad effects
of the chloroform, was very noisy etc when coming too
causing general scatter of sisters, nothing serious. Pain
in hand very considerable, given the needle to send
me to sleep & so managed to get a good nights rest
despite the pain

11/1/17 Temp fell 99 to 98.8, pulse from 96 to 88. Hand
very painfull splint taken off today & the gause
plugging taken out of wound which is very deep

12/1/17 Temp 98 to 98.8,  pulse 88 fell to 86, feel a little
better, hand still very painfull

13/1/17 Temp 98.5 & rose to 98.8, pulse 80 rose to 88
Hand much better & not so painfull

14/1/17 Sunday  Temp 98 all day, pulse 80. Progressing
pretty well, hand settling down & returning to
normal, marked for evacuation to England today
will leave by next draft from the Hospital

15/1/17 Embarked on the hospital ship St David at
9am, left about 9.30 & proceeded up the river to the
coast, crossing the Channel we reached Southampton
at 8 pm, anchored out in the harbour all night
 

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16/1/17 Pulled into the wharf at 9 am & disembarked.
afterwards entraining for Bristol where we arrive at
1.30 pm & are taken in motor ambulances to the
Beaufort War Hospital. Fishponds, the country
lunatic asylum which has been converted into one of
the largest hospitals in the W of England

17/1/17 to 8/3/17 At the Beaufort War Hospital
Bristol, where I make good progress & a complete
recovery, with only the loss of the use of two fingers

9/3/17 Left Bristol sent with a draft to London
where we are sent to the Australian Hospital Dartford

8/3/17 To 29/3/17 At the Australian Hospital Dartford
Kent

25/3/17 To 7/4/17 Convalescent leave granted in London
& Bristol. Reported to No 1 Command Depot Perham
Downs on the expiration of leave on 7/4/17

8/4/17 Sunday  Clasified B 1A3 by the doctor & posted to
No 3 platoon

9/4/17 Parade of 30 for exercise etc & at 2 pm for reclasification

10/4/17 Warned to take a draft of men to Codford in the
morning, pass expires tomorrow night, spent the night
in Salisbury

11/4/17 Spent the day in Salisbury, visited the ruins of
Old Sarum, a very old Roman Ciy a few miles out of
the town. Returned to camp at Perham 8 pm
 

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12/4/17 Warned to take a draft of men to Hurdcott
left camp 7 am, spent the night in Salisbury

13/4/17 Spent the day in Salisbury, visited the Cathedral
retuning to camp in the evening

14/4/17 Week end in camp

15/4/17 Sunday.   Camp all day, Very quiet

16/4/17 Inoculated today TAB/2 nothing to do all day
off duty for 24 hours

17/4/17 Arm very painfull & swollen, inoculation
very strong, no duties today

18/4/17 No parades today, arm much better

19/4/17 Warned to take a small draft of Pioneers to
Dinton. All night in Salisbury

20/4/17 All day in Salisbury, seeing the old port of the
town, missed the 5.10 pm from Salisbury & so had to
walk to camp from Bulford the nearest point I
could get to, arriving in camp very late

21/4/17 Easy day nothing to do

22/4/17 Sunday    Easy day, nothing doing

23/4/17 Detached to take a draft to Codford. all
night in Salisbury

24/4/7 Returned to camp during the afternoon