Diary of Herbert Vincent Reynolds, 1917-1918 - Part 2

 

wood fire.  We have no stove & use an oil drum
with holes punched into it. all the smoke finds 
its way out through the medical officers dug 
out (8^th btn Aid post) & then up the enterance
stairway into the trench above. Just after turning

in the other squad were called on to take a

chap down who had a broken leg, that was at

about 10 pm.
Wednesday 31^st 

There were no cases during the
night & we did not turn out till 10 am. Snow

has been falling all night but very lightly,

everything is white again, though it was 
that way yesterday, & for the past fortnight, but

the earth has been showing in places, where

the snow had thawed. At about 11 am the colonel

came down & had a look around. My squad were

instructed to return to Millers post & we packed  

our things & did so, at about 3 pm. The dug out
we occupy is one made by our engineers, similar

to the one at Factory corner, it is deeper & has

31 steps. There are 16 bunks in it, but it is

extremely wet, water is soaking through
the roof all over it, we have fixed up our

water proof sheets to catch the water & then

drain the water out of them into tins when they

require draining. The day cleared up at about

11 am. & has been beautifully bright & clear.

Feburary

Thursday 1^st 

My mates & I have been working

on a new dug out all the morning, it is merely

a shrapnell proof one for a stretcher & blanket

store, several enemy aeroplanes put in an

appearance overhead & we had to cease work
for a time at about 11 am. At 12 noon I went
with four mates for rations, we took 3 patients
with us on a light truck to Bazentin le petit

dressing station. After an extremely hard time

we made the best of the down hill parts of the 
line & let the truck have her own way on them

came off the rails once at a set of points & got
a very rough bump, we reached the dressing
stn at about 1 pm after the 3 miles trip, & had

dinner; after which we filled up our twenty water

tins which are old petrol tins & put 6 new blankets  

on board. A 3^rd Fld Amb chap returned
with us to take the place of one our sick

chaps. At about 3 pm we set out on the return

trip & after giving way to a motor train on

the camps loop reached Millers post, where

we packed up our rations etc. All went 
well till we reached the points on the

Seven Elms track, there we let the truck

have her own way on the down hill grade
but unfortunately the points were put in on the 

Seven Elms track, & after pulling up the 

truck we had to push her back 

about 400 yds. At about 4 pm we
got back to our post. At 8 pm I went 

on duty with two other chaps, we take

any wounded on to the Drop Ally relay

post, on the trucks & each one of us

does a 4 hrs watch & act as a gass guard

unless any wounded come in the other 

two get a few hrs sleep in the dressing
dug out. At about 9 pm our artillery

comenced to bombard the enemys

positions & the 18 pndr batteries

put over a barrage fire, the enemys

flares etc then comenced to illuminate

the country, & the display of fireworks

was very varied, green red & white flares

appeared in succession & the shrapnells
vivid flash appeared every few seconds.
The centre of operations appeared to be

in the sector on our right in the Flers

part of the line. At about 9 30 pm three

wounded chaps were brought in they
were 1^st Engrs & were caught in a barrage
put over our comunications by the enemy.
earlier in the evening. He took them

to the next relay post after they had been

attended to.

Friday 2^nd

At about 3 am a 2^nd Bgde

M Gnr was brought in in a very serious
condition, the M Officer took half an hour

or more to attend to him, one of his legs were

off above the ankle & the other broken, he
is one of the most mutilated cases that

I have seen for some time, we took him

down to the Drop Ally relay post at about 4 am
At 8 am we came off duty & had the morning

off. After diner I was given the job of fixing

up bracketts for streatchers in the dugout that we

sleep in. We have our feet washed every second 

night with camphor soap, it is a new idea for

the prevention of trench feet & frostbite, this

old method, that of rubbing the feet with whale

oil has proved ineffective, & it is said to be xxxx 

xxxxxx of aiding the cultivation of the trench

foot germs which attack the feet beneath the

toe nails. We heard today that a number 

of prisoners were taken this night, but we lost

the trenches that we temporally occupied, in

a subsequent counter attack.

Saturday 3^rd

Have been busy working on the

dug out all day I have a bit of a contract on here

our dug out is wet as a well, & water is continually

droping through the roof, there are six bunks

in the lower room but the are to be taken out

& bracketts fastoned to the wall to take 9 streatchers

so that the dug out can be used to take the wounded

here in safety if it ever becomes necessary. I have

to put a corigated iron roof  in, to keep the water off

as much as it is possible to do so.

Sunday 4^th

Have been working all day in the 

dug out, the job  is a safe one as there are no shells

to worry us where we are toiling. The weather 

is still frosty & the whole country still has 

a white mantle over everything. Enemy aircraft

have been very active lately.

Monday 5^th 

Some of the mates are driving in

a bit of a recess into the side of the stairway

for a sleeping place it will be large enough

to hold six when completed. I have been 

working in the tower room again, & note the

place is getting a bit more habitibale, it is

certainly drier & more comfortable.

Tuesday 6^th

I just about finished the lower
room today. All the bunks are dry now & there

is an iron roof over it to catch the water & run

it off to the ends of the dug-out. Some of the 

mates are putting a sand bag wall in the dispensary

& dressing dug out, to prevent the walls from

falling in when the thaw sets in. I received

a parcel of a pair of socks & mittens etc from Vi
Wednesday 7^th

I comenced work on the second

room of the dug-out today. This one is about the

same size as the lower one but it is about four

ft above the level of the lower one, it has ten
bunks in it & has to be fixed up similar

to the other one. There has been great artillery

activity along the line to our right lately, it

has been continuous for hrs at a streatch &

of great intensity. A large batch of prisoners

numbering about 80 were taken last Sund night

by the 4^th Div on our right.

Thursday 8^th 

I have had a dirty job today

that of cleaning out the slush from beneath

the duck boards in the top room one would

think he was back home working in a

mine with a candle stuck in the wall for

a light & water & mud on the floor ankle

deep. I will not be sorry when the job is finished

Friday 9^th

I had a change from the usual

job today when I went down to Bazentin for

rations. We set out at about 12 noon with the
truck & the enemy were shelling the line in the
vicinity of Drop Ally, with heavy stuff, just as

we got neat the spot two shells exploded ahead
within 50 yds of us & quite near the line, several
shells had got within a few ft of the line during

the morning, but luckily the line was intact.

We reached Millers post & left our truck on the
loop, then walked on to Bazentin & had dinner.

At 2.30 pm we returned to Millers post & got
the rations then picked up 23 tins of water

at the Clarks dump water point, & reached

our dug out at about 4 pm. Enemy aircraft
have been very active during the day. A rumor

was circulated today to the effect, that
the British had entered the village of 
without opposition after it had been
bombarded by our artillery.

Saturday 10^th

I spent the day cleaning
out the top room of our dug out & fitting up
the last of the streatcher brackets, there are
now 18 bunks in the two rooms I have just

about completed the job making the dug out
dry, as far as it is possible to do so, the floor is 
still wet but the bunks are all dry. I got 
a parcel from Eva Stones & a letter from Ted
Raine along with a few papers. At about 

8 pm a party went out to raid the enemys

trenches from the right & left sections, the 

4^th on the left & the 5^th on the right, both were

failures but the 4^th Btn got back with only four

casualties they were wearing steel boddy plates

which proved very effective in [[?turning]] stray

shell fragments etc. The 5^th btn had a
very large percentage of casualties & we were

kept very busy during the night. At about

8 pm the enemys machine guns began to

crackle all along the line, & a few minutes

later our 18 pndrs began to send over a stream

of shells on to the enemys trenches, the

enemys flares & coloured signals began to
illuminate the whole line. At about 
10 pm a few wounded got down to us
at Edwards post, & a while later we were

kept buisy.

Sunday 11^th

During the night two mates 

& I took four truck loads of wounded to

the Drop Ally relay post, the latter two trips

we went through to the Seven Elms junction

before we met the next relay party. We took

12 wounded on the four trucks. At about 6 am

all the wounded had been cleared & we were

instructed to turn in for a few hrs. leaving one

squad of four on duty. We slept till about 11.30 am

& then turned out for dinner. At 8 pm two

mates & went on duty for the purpose of taking

any wounded on to the next relay post & also

as gass guard during the night. The dispensary
attendant is up till 2 am & we then have to 

do 3 two hour shifts till morning.

Monday 12^th
There were no wounded came

down through the night.  A mate & I

having the morning to ourselves took a walk
across towards Flers, to see an old disabled

tank which is situated about a mile from our
post. One of the catepillar belts have broken

& the engine has been burnt out, the case
 which is of three eight inch armour plate
has been cracked & broken by shell fire

since the fire destroyed the temper in

the steel. At about 3.30 pm a mate & I
were instructed to take one of the ambulance

trucks from here to the Seven Elms dressing

stn; the trip by the line is about 8 miles but

the way we returned across the ridge is only about

a mile, we had tea & then had to take the

new 5^th btns medical officers gear up to Factory

corner & show the officer the way up to the btn
aid post. Enemy machine guns kept playing
in the tram line near the terminus with

indirect fire & several time the bullets were

uncomfortably close to us. While we were

waiting for the infty ration partys to unload

their trucks at Factory avenue terminus, a 

gass horn was blown along the line to our

right & we immediately fixed our box helmets

at the alert position, but there was no sign of gass

in our direction or vicinity. Was paid today
Tuesday 13^th

A thaw has set in today properly

very little of the snow remains now. I have

been working all the morning on the new room in

the dugout. After dinner a mate & I packed

up & were instructed to go up to the R Aid post

at Factory corner, & releive the squads there along

with 6 other chaps from No 1 relay post.

At about 4 pm one of our planes came down

& was smashed to pieces both occupants were

killed. It fell like a shot bird with one of

its wings broken, it was fighting an enemy

plane at the time.

Wednesday 14^th

We have this dug out to ourselves

now, the scouts have been shifted, bunks

have been fitted up on one wall, 9 in number

& things are fairly comfortable. We have two

primus stoves to do our cooking on & get on

 

very well with them. Received letter from Park (stone)
Thursday 15^th

We did not turn out till 

about 10 am. At about 11 am the enemy began

to shell our vicinity with he shrapnell &

high explosive, after a while a call came

for streatcher bearers so three of us went out
past H Q where two chaps were badly hit, one
was dead or very near it & we brought the other
chaps in to the Aid post. At about 4 pm

my squad carried a chap to the No 1 relay post
& got there just at dark. About 11 pm the other

squad took a streatcher case down & at about 

midnight a mate & I took two walking cases

down to the No 2 relay post. A trench mortar

bomb got in a dug out & killed one & wounded 

3 others. Received a letter from Parkstone

Friday 16^th

Put in a few hrs work in some stops

in the trench today. Enemy aircraft have

been very active during the day. Our support
trenches have been very heavily shelled 

by the enemy today.

Saturday 17^th
Did not turn out till about 11 am

There were no wounded through during the

night. At about 11. 30 am another chap came up to

releive me from Edwards post, so after finishing 

my breakfast I packed my blankets etc up

& made off to enquire about my being releived

At Edwards post I was instructed to report to

the officer at Millers Post along with a mate

we did that, & found that there was no sleeping

quarters for us & what was worse no rations

except a lump of cheese & biscuits, so at 

about 6 pm having nothing to do till the
morning we took a stroll down to the A D S

at Bazentin & seen the W O, he told us to

stay there & get blankets for the night & sleep in

No 8 hut, so we, thought that better than going 

back to Millers post & remained for the night

We had no sooner got settled down for the night

then old fritz began to drop an odd shell very

uncomfortably near us ever few minutes, for

an hour or so, one caused lumps of earth to

fall with a thud on the canvas hut, & put a

nasty taste in a blokes mouth when it

hit earth. A thaw has set in properly

now & there is mud ankle deep on the tracks.

Sunday 18^th

Spent a much more comfortable

night than when I slept in these huts before.

since then they have been lined with hessian &

are now pretty warm & comfortable. At about

4 am my mate & I went up to Millers post for 
our kits etc, we there got into hot water for being

about during the night & had to explain

matters to the officer, A very dense fog has been 

hanging about all day. We set to work after 

dinner lining a new cupola iron dug out in the
camp with lining boards. After tea at 4.30 pm

a couple of mates & I went for a walk to a canteen

at Contalmaison but did not find it open.

I shifted my quarters into a dug out with a 

couple of mates this evening it is about 6ft below 

the ground level & is fairly comfortable.

Monday 19^th

The day has been very foggy.
I continued work on the inside of the dug out

& today, it is a place 20ft x 7ft 6ins & is covered

with cupola iron which has several rows of 

sandbags over it. My mate & a sapper from

the 1^st Fld engrs comenced to put in the 

foundations of a Nissen hospital hut today.

After tea my mate & I looked around for a dug 
out that is  fit to occupy, we discovered one

& agreed to make use of it, so set about

cleaning it up a bit & fixing up the floor.

We turned in in our old dug out for the night.

Tuesday 20^th

I worked all day on the dug out

again putting in the steps. A heavy mist

has been hanging about all day. During the

spell for dinner my two mates & I put in
some work on the new dug out of ours & after

tea we had things very comfortable we got

two 3 ft duck boards for the floor, & got an old

oil drum & a length of stove pipe & fitted

up a fine stove for ourselves. The humpy is

about 8 ft x 6 ft & 5 ft high it is merely a 

hole 4 ft deep with sandbag walls,  a ft high

& a corrigated iron roof on top, the inside

is covered with expanded iron held in place

by angle iron picquets driven into the

ground. There are three of us in the humpy

& it is very comfortable though rough.

We got a fair supply of canteen stuff today
& put in 6 francs each into the mess fund.

Wednesday 21^st

I finished off the steps to 
the dug out this morning & then helped my

mates with the new hut, we got all the posts
sawn off, the three plates down in position.

The hut is very similar to the ordinary Boa

hut except that it is four feet wider & has
a lantern light frame on top, it is 60 ft

by 20 ft. After tea my mates & I went for a

stroll across to the ridge opposite us, to see a

tank that was being shifted this afternoon.

It has marks of bullets in the angle iron

joints, but bullets that have hit the armour

plate have made no impression whatever.

On the front is painted "H M L S Campainia"

We seen three prisoners being brought in tonight

they were in a very muddy condition. We had

a look at the captured enemy gun near

Bazentin le Grand. It is an old type with 

no recoil & has been rendered useless, it is

about 9 in calibre & has been a long range gun

the barrel has been broken in half by some

means. It is in a concrete emplacement.

Thursday 22^nd  

We got four sets of bows into

place today & fixed the purlons to them.

The day has been foggy again. New Paybooks issued.

Friday 23^rd

A heavy fog has been hanging

about again today. My mates & I went for 

a stroll over the site of Bazentin le petit,

during our spell at dinner time, there is very

little to show that there was ever a village
there, an old enemy engrs dump is situated

near the village & a large quantity of material

is still there, we went through what were

evidently old ammunition stores of the enemy's

our shells have played havoc with them, &

have almost completely reduced them to ruins

they are deep pits covered covered with very deeply

corrigated iron cupolas which is covered with

a concrete & brick work covering over which 

the earth has been piled in a long bank

We have been working on the hut all day.

Several prisoners were brought through here

today wounded.

Saturday 24^th

We had a very sharp 

frost this morning followed by a heavy 

fog which has hung about all day.

After getting all the bows in position

on the hut, we were about to fasten on the

last four purlons, when one of the chaps 

working with us, unthinkingly removed

one of the stays holding the frame in

position, with the result that the whole

structure collapsed on top of us. There were

some hard knocks received, but no one was

hurt as luck would have it, & the full content

of the damage was a few broken bolts & the

loss of a days & a halfs work. after dinner

we had to set to erecting the frame piece 

by piece again. A few more prisoners

went through here again today wounded,

they were taken by the 28^th btn.

Sunday 25^th

Everything has seemed to be 

unsettled all day, rumors are afloat that

an enemy retirement has taken place on this

sector, it appears that when the 9^th btn went

out in force, to take a position from the enemy

known as the "maze" they found the place

unoccupied. A number of extra men were

sent up to the line from here today. My mate

& I have only had a couple of chaps assisting us on

the hut today, we have all the bows in position now.

Monday 26^th

Over 150 wounded passed through

here during the night, things have been very

active up the line & our infty are getting in some 

splendid work, they appear to be well on the enemys

heels & keeping him moving. The village of La Barque

has been taken by us according to reports today.

I have not been working on the hut today but have

been doing general fatigue work about the place

most of the men have been sent up the line. The
whole place has been in a state of excitement all