Thomas James Richards, Diaries, Transcript Vol. 4, 9 November 1916 - 31 May 1918 - Part 14

-124-
much needed spell for the fellows as they have been having a
jolly rough time of it since the third of the month. This open
warfare means a whole lot more work and a keener observation.
The strain is much greater on the men added to which the
weather makes matters damnably bad. It is wet and cold, we dont
so much mind the cold, but its the wet that counts against our
men. To make matters worse there is no place to sleep at all.
Last night the darkness was very trying when going from one
post to the other, distances often of only 100 yds. but it was
very difficult to keep direction. My book (diary) of late has
been starved; due to the possibility of being taken prisoner
and the contents being of use to them; besides this there is
but little chance of writing as it takes me all day to get
enough sleep to carry on the business of war over night. Our
position is very safe at daylight but in the nightime the
Germans are likely to rush in on us. The news of a great French
victory is good and I hope it can be successfully followed up
and hammered into the German. The Allies should made it so warm
for the German this Summer that peace should be ripe for dis¬
cussion then.
It is 6 p.m. I have just had a wash and shave in a quart
of water. I cleaned my teeth picked off a few lice ruffled the
dust off my undercloths and as I sit in my lowly roadside dugout
on the Doignies-Demicourt Road I feel quite a new and proud man.
It is my second shave in 18 days and about the same number of
face and body washes during that time. Our work has been very
muddy and trying digging trenches and outposts nearby every
night and running around preparing to reinforce one and another
front. There is no doubt about the hardships of an infantry
man's life. They suffer both from work exposure and under feeding, 
the latter to a disgusting extent. Any other branch of
the service is heaven compared to the infantry life.
Dora Powell (Mrs. McWilliam) sent along a small piece of
wedding cake. I open and eat it at once both because I was
hungry and wished them "Good Luck." Letters came to hand from
several people and was very pleasing, you can bet. A Xmas card
 

-125 -
came from California strange to say.
I hear the French are doing splendidly; rumour of 15,000
prisoners being taken.
Fritz is getting a rough time right enough. Even in our
wide, open sector there are hundreds of dead Germans in all,
lying over and about us. What our own losses are of cause I
cant say, and who can see the game out furtherst at this pace
beats me. I know our part of the work means much hardship and
risk.
April 21st. Saturday
We are not clear as to the day or date but I fancy the
above with be about right. To day has been a good loaf, but
we are doing a relief early in the morning. The weather,
though dull, is not wet or cold, and the men are cleaning themselves 
up a little although the well we draw water from is a
long way away. I have just cleaned my teeth in rum and water
taken from my water bottle. It made quite a pleasant mouth
wash.
It was a relief to find that we do not take the firing line
to-night, although the weather is now dry and a whole lot warmer.
It is a wonder that I have not mentioned before about a
piece of shell that cut its way through my leather vest tunic
and pants without me being aware of it until seeing the holes,
this happened 10 or 12 days ago, and it caused me so little concern 
that I had forgotten until I saw my tunic a moment ago.
I have had an easy comfortable day, and wrote up a couple
of letters, took some pictures of our humble hole in the embankment 
etc.
Rumour says that Sir Douglas Haige declares the war will
be over in another 14 days. This seems impossible to the extreme
but I wish it was so, oh! how happy everybody would be. The
German is tired of it and he has been living in luxury compared
to the way we have had to work and fight, no communications and
very little artillery support.
April 22nd. Sunday.
A day of rest and leisure, such as one can have in a 6 ft.
 

- 126 -
x4 ft. x 3 ft. dugout covered over only by some shrapnel
riddled galvanised iron. The villages are alway being shelled
y Fritz but we do go in prowling about and talking timber,
iron, tables, chairs, stoves and anything else of use.
Major R. J. O. Harris sent me along two military books from
London. He promised to do so but he is a wonder to have done
so while on leave in England. I thought it would be al most
impossible for him to have remembered that I wanted these
books as I hardly spoke to him at the School.
We return to the "line" to-night though we never have been
more than 1,000 yds. behind.
April 23rd. Monday.
We took over at 0300. I have been on watch duty all day
long in the narrow and shallow trenches; Nobody was allowed to
move at all for fear of attracting artillery fire. Fritz has
such a superiority of artillery power that we dare not show a
helmet in the daylight but what he turns the guns onto us. We
are too far away from him (at Moeuvres) for machine gun fire to
be affective. His artillery can hardly be called affective
either as he fired 54 shots (either 4 - 2 or 5 - 9 shells) at
our trench to-day and never injured a man. I can see the
Hindenburg line plainly. It seems particularly strong in trench
systems and wire entanglements. I fear we will require heavy artillery 
support before we can advance further.
There are some very good specimens of German trench work
all about us. He is 100% neater and more thorough in his
digging than we are, this makes me think that he has especiall
gangs of men to lay off and do all of the digging. A trench
just behind shows method and neatness. There is a lovely
finished off trench with traverses, low parapets etc. nearby
is a set of shallow shelters roofed over with "corrigated" iron,
and covered by a few inches of dirt the rest of the dirt must
be scattered about for yards as there are no mounds showing
and absolutely no sign of the existence of dugouts until you
 

- 127 -
are right on top of them. I persume that the open trench is
maned by night and the dugouts hide the men from observation
during the day time. Our work (done of cause by tired and
under fed men) is awfully poor and rough work with the dirt
heaped up high and sleeping nicks dug into the sides.
The sun has been shining more or less all day and the
areoplanes have been making the best use of it. A very strange
incident happened this morning: There was a lot of areal fighting 
going on when out of the clouds (fairly thick at that
moment) there came an aeroplane at a terrific pace, I stretched
over the trench to see the fall when, like a falling skylark the
machine glanced as if off the very ground itself and made away
across our support and reserve lines at a height of no more
than 100 ft. I had a Lewis gun nearby and could have got that
plane had I realised in time that it was a German machine and
was, instead of falling just putting up a stunt on us. Yesterday
afternoon I saw a plane come tumbling out of the clouds and hit
the earth a terrific smash but who's plane it was I dont know.
Ours, I regret to think.
April 24th. Tuesday.
The eve of the Gallipoli landing and a reminder that we
have been 12 months in France and 12 months of hard and continuous fighting. There is a Brigade of Lincolns relieveing and
I find that they have not been in the trenches for 5 months now.
It seems very strange and awfully hard to think that there is
no spell for the Colonials after the trying winter and the severe
fighting. We are supposed to be going back North to Flanders
now, I certainly hope so although I cannot quite believe
anything at all. The men are very much worn down nearly everybody 
having bad feet.
I have just returned from a stroll around through Louverval
back along the Cambrai Road to Boursies and back to my abode, 4
sheets of iron leaning against a shallow cavity dug into the
road side. My walk was very pleasant even if German shells
were turned at intervals upon my route, firstly I saw a whole
 

- 128 -
lot of yellow flowers, lovely white snow drops some wild
violets and other flowers, which all looked so beautiful in the
strong warm sunlight. There is hardly a cloud about and though
our airmen are out in force one minute and and seem to be surpreme, 
there is, in a few minutes, nothing to be seen but
German planes. I took a roll of pictures and think they will
be alright.
I saw some 20 German bodies lying about in different places,
mostly in their prepared positions. They all appeared to have
been well looted, and if not soon buried will make a terribly
smell. I cut off five buttons from a coat of a dead man to keep.
It is an awful shame to see the splendid trees that lined the
cobbled stones road from Albert to Cambrai all cut down and lying
across the road. It would take many years to grow those fine
trees again. There is some consolation, perhaps in the fact that
when the war ceases there will be a large amount of timber available 
for building purposes right on the spot. A large wood
in Louverval has been carefully cut down and left there.
Observation (or road obstruction in some cases) seems to have
been the German idear in cutting trees down and no doubt he
hampered us a whole lot thereby, and again I feel sure we are
going to have a whole lot of trouble in locating his artillery
and trench line while we will have to go forward under his very
eyes and in the open to close with the swine. Then I cannot see
any real need to give him all this advantage; let us dig in
securely well out of his reach and if he wants us he can come
along and find us while inactivity on this line will give us
more men and munition to fight him to a shadow on the other
front where to betting is not so strongly against us as it is
here. We must crush him this summer or the submarines will
make a rocky nation of England in quick time.
Leave is still being granted for England, two officers
left to-day. I do hope my turn will come before July.
A parcel has just been handed to me this moment from Mrs.
Hunter it has two lovely silk undershirts and a heavy lined
 

- 129 -
undervest, also a sample outfit of Jhonson's toilets. This is
jolly good and these articles will be valuable this summer.
Though the corn-cure, digestive tablets, mustard plaster is a
bit of a joke. I have had a good sponge bath in a shell hole,
and though Fritz with his shrapnel did make me duck under the
bank several times. All of my cloths and blankets are now dry
as the sun to-day has been delightful. A real hot day such as
I had forgotten ever graced this country.
Aeroplanes have had a great day, first the sky was full of
our planes and a few minutes later the German cruised about over
us, very high up. I saw one Hun plane come down. Shells have
been freely flying about but with surprisingly little effect,
they oftimes appear to be hundreds of yards away from any target
at all.
A Staffordshire Bn. releived us to-night, there was very
little difficult in changing over and getting onto the road for
Velu. We wandered about a whole lot looking for our direction
as the night was dark and not a possible directing object could
be picked up. Stew was ready for us and the men on arrival in
the forrest and with shells bursting around. I got under a
stretch a canvas with "A." Company officers and went soundly to
sleep.
This wood with the chattering of men and the blaze of a
hundred camp fires was a great picture. The kind of picture one
often sees of troops camping on the walls of picture galleries.
And the letting off of weeks of pent up feeling and keen
suspense now that we were reasonable safe and going back for a
spell was very striking.
April 25th. Wednesday.
Up at 7 a.m. and moved out along the road for Beaulincourt
by 9 a.m. In crossing the open country we broke out into
artillery formation and were protected by three aeroplanes all
the way over. They seemed to be afraid of a German plane raiding
us with machine guns or bombs. Now,9 p.m., we are all in bell
 

- 130 -
tents with a cold wind blowing. The men are full of releif
at having come whole and unharmed through the past 20 days of
hard and trying work. In most bell tents are 12 men and a
braizer of wood pleasantly burning. They are singing and laughing 
even though 25% are nursing sore feet. We dont know what is
in store for us just yet, though it points to our leaving the
Somme area for the North.
April 26th. Thursday.
The Battalion moved up into a support position, and as the
officers were not all wanted we drew lots for the man to stay
behind and I was successful. So that I have had a very good
holiday to-day and a nice warm bath thrown in.
The different ideas of men are wonderful. With another old
and tried officer I paid a visit to the transport officer thinking 
there might be whiskey there; (there was the inevitable rum
only). They lived in a house alongside of the hugh beet sugar
mill; the house was shell riddled but had not been "blown-up.
On leaving Buchan and I exchanged ideas and found that we were
glad to get away from the building, it was in so good a state
of repair that we both felt sure the infernal place was mined.
We saw the damage done at Velu where the 4th Battalion quarter
masters' store was leaning to a brick wall, the building having
been demolished, for 14 days they shared out the rations and
lived there then up blew the wall and surrounding country with
terrific force. I saw the cluster of graves there yesterday.
So Buchan and I were glad to get out of this building and at
the same time had no fear of sleeping out in the open with
artillery fire at its heaviest. But sit comfortably in that
building we could not.
I have written a few letters to-night hope to square up
a whole lot of my backward correspondence to-morrow.
 

- 131 -
April 27th. Friday.
A dull sort of a day which I much regreted as I went for a
good long ride on horseback and could have taken some good pictures. 
My horse was a heavy fellow while Webb and Waugh had
light hacks but Charlie had plenty of spirit and raced as well as
any of them when we gave chase to three different rabbits, all
of whom beat us rather badly, we lost them, one, within a few
yards of me. I feel badly taken back as there was no appearant
shelter for them at all. It was most remarkable where they hid
themselves away so securely. My horse, Charlie, jumper shell
holes and trenches better and most enthusiasticly than the others,
I saw Sid. Middleton and found that the game of football
in Paris was still a possibility when we get out of the lines
shortly.
I saw the trenches in which we go for supports in the big
stunt which takes place at any moment.
I had a nip of whiskey and a bottle of English beer which
was jolly good after having to drink rum to keep out the cold
during the past 20 days.
My word there is a big battle pending near here, and Fitz
will get a hot time. The 2nd Div. are training and practicing
for it now.
April 28th. Saturday.
Inspection of kits clothing etc. this morning. The weather
seems a lot warmer now although the sun is not shining, but as
there is no rain we are happy.
Football kicking around this camp full of shell holes was
jolly good this afternoon. Our officers mostly took a delight
in it and it releives the mind and body a whole lot too.
Shifted from the bell tents into the trenches holding a
reserve position, there are 6 huge 9 in. guns 100 yards away.
 

-132-
April 29th. Sunday.
I have just seen a red bodied German plane drive one of
ours away in surprising style and right back over our lines too,
It was a great setback, moreso as the plane did not alight, it
hovered around, and the whole thing looks like a case of "wind
up". The German was 3 miles over our lines and not more than
1500 ft. up off the ground and our machine guns rattled miles of
bullets after him.
I have just opened a letter from Mabel Richards with a
photograph of the family and a nicely written letter. This girl
writes jolly well indeed.
I learn that when Fritz broke through our lines about the
11th inst, our artillery were without ammunition, this explains
the way Fritz exposed himself on the hill and valley around
about us all the next day and to our disgust not a shot was
fired at him.
The guns about are awfully quite to-night. A rumour says
that Fritz has fallen back from our front again this I hope is
not correct as our guns are all ready the men too and if he goes
back there will mean a whole lot of trouble in getting the guns
further advanced and bringing up the lines of communication, and
in the meantime the Summer is advancing rapidly. Oh, we must
get into holds with him quickly and get it finished this year.
April 30th. Monday.
I saw one of our planes looking for a place to alight near
its open-air aerodrome, it seemed to have found one and was making 
a pretty landing when one wing and the tail shot into the
air and remained there. A most astounding position. I can
hardly conceive what really happened, but probably its wheels
dropped into a shell hole and the wing stuck into the ground.
To-day has been one of much drill and worry to me as I dont
seem to be able to get into the game at all my voice wants a
whole lot of training yet.
It has been a lovely day though, and I have had quite a lot
 

-133 -
of football out of it, the grass is splendid to run about on
now, and there are no shell holes about. It splendid right
enough and many months since we have had dry ground or clean
grass underfoot. The moon light nights are splendid although
we dont see much of it just now although we "Stand to" at 8.30
to 9 p.m. and 5 to 5.30 a.m.
May 1st, 1917. Tuesday.
Another lovely day today and all is merry and bright. I
learn that the aeroplane refered to yesterday alighted with the
observer dead and the piolet dying shot in five places. The
machine was riddled with bullet holes and though I have not seen
the machine I am told its just wonderful how they came down as
well as they did. The whole thing to me is astounding as by
the manner in which the plane came down, carefully and well in
hand, one might have expected it to have contained an able pilot.
May 2nd. Wednesday.
This afternoon orders came for 1 officer and 50 ranks to be
ready to move off in two hours; No order of dress or what the
business in hand was to be was given. This made it nasty as the
men wanted to know and should have know too. Anyhow it turned
out to be a walk of 3½ miles dig a communication trench 500 men
engaged at 2 yards of trench per man. It was 10.20 p.m. when
we started to dig and by 1 o'clock the the trench was completed.
A rather good piece of work. At 3.45 we got back to our camping
ground and a little later one of the most intense barrages opened
that I have yet seen. It continued for a very long time. In
fact I went the sleep, and at 8 a.m. on waking the bombardment
was still very heavy.
May 3rd. Thursday.
I am waiting in close supports with the Battalion and ready
to go forward any moment. So what the night will bring forward
we are anxious to know. The attack of this morning was not a
big success, the Devision left of Bullecourt seems to have failed.