Thomas James Richards, Diaries, Transcript Vol. 4, 9 November 1916 - 31 May 1918 - Part 20

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August 20th. Monday.

I did not go on the review this morning not feeling

interested enough stand around for hours waiting and freting.

It rained a good deal in showers, but the Duke came and our

officers were very pleased with the showing of the men.

I am squaring up for the journey to-morrow packing and

writing.

Bert cycled over from Larkhill to my Mess to-day, he goes

on 6 days leave to-morrow.

August 21st. Tuesday.

Left camp at 11.45 a.m. By train from Tedworth at 12 and

arrived at Southampton by 2 p.m. I paid my mess account of

26/- for 10 days at Perham Down.

My stay at Perham Down was not any better or worse than

one might expect at a Base Detail Camp for training. I had

charge of a Coy. which was never very strong in numbers. It

was the filling in of so many parade hours that worried me:

from 6 a.m. until after the lecture at 8.30 there was time for

nothing at all.

Southampton is the usual sort of shipping port. I became

bold and picked up a girl went to tea with her and she turned

out an awful "boob" knew nothing and had no manners. I slipped

away.

August 22nd. Wednesday.

We went aboard at 6 p.m. last night had tea, slept on the

smoke room floor and went ashore at 7.30 at Havre.  There was

bunk accomodation for 30 officers and as we had 130 on board 

we had to sleep anywhere at all. Of cause the old hands took

it like they take whiskey, never a murmur or a quiver, but

complaints and grumbles came from the new fellows. There was 

many hundreds on board also and they had a pretty rough time.

I got up in the early morning and the heavens were lovely.

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There was Venus mixed up with Orion and shining very brilliantly

and delightfully.

We had breakfast at Havre and left town by tram at

10 a.m. reporting to camp 6 miles out. The camp is very prettily

situated. I went at once to find Eeanest Booth and found him

doing very well at his Y.M.C.A. job. I met and strolled into

a nearby village with Bob Adanson and recalled many pleasant

incidents of our American tour.

We had some beer and got back to camp by 11 p.m. and to

bed in the little huts. The mess is very good indeed.

August 23rd. Thursday.

We have had a whole lot of rain storms here but being on

a hillside the water runs off and soon dries up.

I am detailed for the all night trench duty to night.

I have met Twit Tasher here.

August 24th. Friday.

I am on board the train making back to the Battalion with

86 2nd Div. men, I got warning in the "play" trenches this

morning that I would have to report to Hdqs. and take a draft

away in the evening. I will soon be back again now to the

Battalion, and right glad to, as I dont like camp life, there

is nothing settled about it and a whole of bothering and messing

about.

With my party of 86 2nd Division men marched 6 miles

into the railway station at Havre arriving there at 8 o'clock.

The train left at 11 o'clock.

August 25th. Saturday.

We arrived at Rouen early this morning and went into a

reinforcement camp nearby and moved off again at 3 p.m. for

Hazebrouck.

I had a few hours to wander about Rouen. It is a rather

fine place. The Riven front being particularly interesting

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on account of the barge traffic moving to and fro, and connecting

the coast with Paris. There is a good officers club here;

but I could not get a bath about, though I tried to find several

places.

It is 3 years ago to-day since I joined up, and it seems

almost a life-time.

August 26th. Sunday.

At 3 p.m. we arrived at Hazebrouck only to find the station

we should have disembarked at 7 miles back along the line so we

have to return to-morrow.

Hazebrouck, when I was here some 10 months ago, was a fine

little place with any amount of civilian life about particularly

on Sunday afternoon when everybody came out walking, but to-day

there is very few people about at all. Hazebrouck, 14 miles

behind the line has been so bombed and shelled that the people

have deserted it. Many building are destroyed and thousands of

windows broken. It is so sad to see the place so deserted and 

lonely.

August 27th. Monday.

I did not sleep at the Reinforcement Camp last night as I

expected, but I got around there for breakfast and during the

day delivered the 2nd Div. men safely and returned to Hazebrouck

and on to Strazeele joining up with the Battalion near by. I

dont know what company I am going to and don't care a whole lot

either.

August 28th. Tuesday.

I have found no trace of my valise as yet not that I have

looked about much. It did not come to the railway station at

Havre and I have no idea of its whereabouts as present.

I have been attached to D. Coy. under Major Price, but as

there is an officer to each platoon I wont be able to find

anything to do, which will please me immensely.

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At 5 o'clock the 1st Field Ambulance team came over to

play the 1st Battalion and won by 6 to 3. When on our backs

was injured I went on and played in the ³/₄ line but soon tired,

and found myself very slow indeed.

August 29th. Wednesday.

I lined up on the end of D. Coy. and we went off for a

few miles of a march; it was a stiff march for the men with

full packs up, as the pace was never less than 120 per minute.

The last ½ mile being done with gas helmets on; this is jolly

fine for practice but a little hard on the men and at the same

time it may be the means of saving their lives in this gas

stricken area.

I played a hard full back game against the 3rd Battalion

Officers, with the first, and we won by 5 to 3 after a great

set to against mud and a high wind.

August 30th. Thursday.

I was never so stiff and sore as to-day after those 2

rugby games. I have a nasty cold too which i taking all the

life out of me. This is the first cold I've had for a very

long time, I suppose it is brought on by sleeping in doors or

rather in close rooms and then going out into the wet atmosphere.

I have discovered that my valise is nearby; I will get it

to-morrow.

August 31st. Friday.

Our men are fairly comfortably quartered but at the same

time both men and officers are feed up with the whole business.

Divisional orders are so confusing and the laws so applied that

the continual tinkering and humbugging has made everyone tired;

and so the information that we will be in the firing line within

the next few days comes with a welcome.

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We are well over strength in Officers but the platoons

are not up to full 60.

September 1st. Saturday.

I have been getting some remarkably good and kindly

letters from friends in Australia. Nellie Hill says I must

come to "Hillcrest" should I be invalided home. It's jolly

fine of them all, to think so kindly of me and it gives a

fellow a whole lot of cheer to fight on with.

September 2nd. Sunday.

It has been a quite, and nasty kind of day.

I wrote a few letters and went to bed about 10 p.m. in fine

moonlight. A little later the Hun aeroplanes came over looking

for the railway dumps and they got a warm reception from machine

guns. Several bombs were droped and landed only ½ mile away.

There are some Tommy labourers camped near by and they, like the

woman got up a bolted down the road and accross the fields like

hunted rabbits.

September 3rd. Monday.

I have done nothing all day. At a meeting of officers the

way to oppose the new defensive formations of the German front

system was discussed. It seems he has abandon the regular

front line of trenches maning the shell holes and strong posts,

which are dotted about and he then depends upon counter attacks

to dislodge our men from the ground won.

He's a wily devil, this Hun and there is doing to be a 

whole lot of fighting yet to dislodge him, fighting in which

we still lose 8 men to his one.

The chances winning or the losing of the war by forces of

arms is as remote as ever it was.

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September 4th. Tuesday.

I have had a busy day doing nothing. This is always a

busy and hard task. I have received letters from Helen

Wilson of Newquay and from brother Bert and Sister Hickey.

Bert has had a very fine holiday but I wish that he had kept

his appointment and met Stan. Bostock Smith in London, a day

with them would have been an eye-opener for him.

September 5th. Wednesday.

We played 2 games to-day against the 3rd Battalion. The

men won theirs comfortably but the officers were beaten 11 to

6 after a hard, grueling game.

Our Colonel is very keen on all hands learning rugby and

playing it; but at the same time I wish he would give the

players some consideration and play a game during parade

hours.

I am about square with my mail just now having posted 2 doz

large and 20 p.c. photographs of myself away to one and the

other.

September 6th. Thursday.

I am still sleeping in a comfortable bed with a quite good

Madame to look after it for me. I have borrowed here and there

so that I can get along alright now without my valise, but I

dont want to lose it, and hope it will soon be returned.

September 7th. Friday.

I was out coaching the Battalion team, and taught them

quite a lot of things.

All Australian Battalions are giving a number of men to the

farmers around to help in getting their various crops in and

ploughing up fresh ground. Autumn is now with us without a

doubt, to-day I saw several trees turning yellow and the

leaves commencing to fall.

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The hop patches are ready to pull; potatoes are being

dug up and oats wheat etc. collected.

September 8th. Saturday.

I went out to see the plan of our expected front and our 

objectives when the line is entered shortly.

The plan was splendidly done covering over 1½ acres of land

on a scale of 1 - 50. Roads were shown by boards trenches by

concret ridges with our front line of outposts showing in blue.

German dugout and Redoubts were shown and the several Woods

properly built in.

It is going to be a difficult point to take right enough.

September 9th. Sunday.

At Church parade this morning the Padre spoke very well on

their being so such thing as failure to a man with courage and

that each little reverse was only a stepping stone to higher and

better things.

After Church parade silver and bronze medals were given to 

the winners of the Sports held on the 3rd year of the Battalions

formation some 3 or 4 weeks ago. Money prizes are usually given

but I am glad that medals were given this year.

This afternoon Ben Champion and I rode to Outhersteen and

saw the girls there. Had tea and several bottles and rode

around back to camp.

Pay-day to-day I drew 250 francs and had ₤13.17.0 entered

up for cloths bought last November on the Somme. This leaves

me overdrawn. It's a shame drawing 14/6 a day and getting

behind.

September 10th and 11th. Monday and Tuesday.

                                                  Brigade

Monday we ran through a Battalion stunt over potato field

and water drains. It was just a little practice in open and

extended order work; brought about in the form of an attack

by 3 Battalions.

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On Tuesday afternoon the 1st played the 2nd League Rugby.

I replaced an injured man and played 5/8. It was very fast

game, our men winning by 11 to 3.

Capt. Walker and Hasty A'Beckett arrived to-day from the

"Havre" front.

September 12th. Wednesday.

We had a football match for this afternoon but it was

allowed to elapse on account of moving in the morning. I went

down to the field ambulance and got a blanket, my only one. My

valise has not yet been heard of, its a jolly shame as I had a 

very good kit of battle cloths.

September 13th. Thursday.

The Bn moved forward this morning. I moved with lots of

men and officers to a Reinforcement Camp. And we look like

having a good time until the Bn. comes out again. And there is

likely to be something fairly big going on that a fellow might 

just as well be away from.

I slept on two chaff bags of straw comfortably.

September 14th. Friday.

Our tents, pitched on the fresh and clean grass, are very

fine indeed. Parade both morning and afternoon; but not very

serious. But alas! while waiting for lunch a message came

from Bn. for Mant and I to join up the Bn. for especial duty.

We set off and here we are camped in shattered and gased area

with much uncertainty as to life or death staring at us all;

but we'll put up a good scrap first, ere we go under, I

thought that I was to be left out of this bit of a "muck up",

but the fates are against me so I leave it go without a grumble

or complaint.

It was jolly cold sleeping on one blanket. The bombardment

kept me waking up also.

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September 15th. Saturday.

Nothing doing to-day and I seem to be in the same unattached

groove. The Colonel tells me I am attached to Battalion

Staff as "liasion" officer and that my duty will be to keep

the flanks at the Battalion in touch with one another and not

allow any "strong points" to split in between our advance. And

at the same time organize counter attacks should the enemy push

our first line back. It seems a very difficult mission to undertake

but a very proud one to have alloted me.

September 16th. Sunday.

At 9.30 a.m. the Battalion moved, packs and blanket up,

to Chateau Sigard and had dinner. Stacked kits and moved up

to the line in the afternoon taking over from the 7th London in

broad daylight and under the very observation of the enemy.

The shelling was fairly heavy but we did not lose many men. I

had to look over the part of our line taken over, a two company

frontage, it was in a good position but the ground was so shell

shattered that there was neither trenches or shelters to speak

of. I slept in the swelthering hot tunnel. There was reports

of gas going round but I did not smell any of it.

September 17th. Monday                 Wounded.

Our lines were very quite last night other than a little

shelling nothing of note happened, I find that my mission it

a decidedly tough one. I have to be prepared for any emergency.

Report on the advance made look out for strong points and "nests"

that may be overlooked and more especially to organise counter 

attacks should the Hun push our first line back. This is a big

task and I very responsible position, and it shows that the

Colonel has much confidence in me.

Anyhow while looking over a short route into the line a

piece of shell struck my fore arm.

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September 18th. Tuesday.

I spent last night at the No. 17 C.C.S., Poperinghe having

reached there at dusk. I passed through the 1st Field Ambulance

and was pleased to be so well received by men and officers.

They operated on my arm last night about mid-night; the

ether did not give me any trouble and I saw quite well this

morning. I feel very well indeed considering 750 grains of anti-tetanus

and an operation.  At 5 o'clock a Hospital train called,

and I came onto the 24th General Hospital, Etaples.

A dose of anti-tetanus is always given to prevent lockjaw

in wounds. It makes one very sick at times.

September 19th. Wednesday

I arrived here about 4 o'clock this morning and have been

comfortably put up though the place is miserably English. One

of the Nurses was Australian and she just cried when we talked

of Australia and our boys.

The Doctor says I will have to go to England as I have a 

5 weeks job in hand. The operation made two big gashed 4 inches

apart to get the metal out, but I think it will be better in

two weeks easily.

September 20th. Thursday.

It has been decided that I go the England to night. I dont

feel at all pleased, as I have no money in my pay book and I

should be with the Battalion after my last big spell.

I went for a walk around Etaples this afternoon. It is a

poor village, but they say there is a fine place in Paris-Place

just over the water.

September 21st. Friday.

I went aboard the train at daylight this morning and ran a

few miles to Boulounge where it was found we would have to go

down to Calais where we arrived about 4 p.m. went aboard the

"Newhaven" on a stretcher carried by two German prisoners I