Thomas James Richards, Diaries, Transcript Vol. 4, 9 November 1916 - 31 May 1918 - Part 26

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upon our posts. They also brought down two of our machines
and have been fighting and hovering about all day.
McGill shot through the head 1.10 p.m.  My batman Lucas
also killed at my side Clarkson shot through the helmet slightly
wounded. We have had some tough sniping set tos but I reckon
we killed a number of Huns. I think I got four for certain with
my own rifle.  I only have a Lewis gun and 9 riflemen as a
Platoon now. A number a Germans extended out in front, the
S O S went up from the adjoining posts on either side, this
move provided us with more shooting. It seems the enemy is attacking 

strongly on our right.
At night fall we had the Hun as tame as a caged canarary
and afraid to look "over the top" at all.

It has been damp with light rain all day and it is cold
to-night with frost. The enemy seems to be working in front
I can see numbers of them, we are also digging in so, alas!!
I cannot fire on them.
 April 18th               Post near Moolenacker Road towards Meteren.
I buried McGill and Lucas just outside the post. Two good
lads.  Map reference X. 26-a-0.9 Sheep 27.S.E. Section 3.
Fritz will not show himself to-day we must have knocked
him about yesterday right enough.
I heated a pint of cold tea over a candle this afternoon
it is the first warm drink Ive had for 50 hours. It is so cold
and windy too!!

There are French 75 guns behind us somewhere, they make
such strange ineffective bursting sounds just like gas shells;
but they do shower them onto Fritzs when they start. Showers
of little lumps of snow then sunshine then bombardment has been
the order all day. Its the very devil.

April 19th.

I am glad I put aside some of D. H. Gregory Peppermints
 

 

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chocolate and mints with the "Sunshine" rasins; they are worth
untold gold just now. Its one of the nastiest days imaginable
hail snow sleet and wind all in clouds and patches. The weather
conditions are just the same as when we were at Hermies and
Demicourt last year. Its remarkable how human nature can stand
it at all, the exposure is terrific.
We have been getting some shooting to-night but it is
uncertain. Nothing will induce the Hun to show himself during
the day now.

April 20th.
We have all had a good days sleep amongst straw in wide
open trenches after a hurried daylight releif by "C" Coy. I
saw a piece of a recent paper to-day and there are 15 boats
sunk down for the week. Its the very limit and the war has a pretty
rotten outlook for the Allies at the moment.

April 21st.
I did not think it possible for me to sleep for 30 hours
with breaks for meals only but I have accomplished this feat
now and am feeling very pleased and quite warm. I had a rough
shave and a bath all in a pint of water warmed over a "Tommy
Cooker."  Some folk will consider this impossible I used to
think so too, but when there is no water and a man wants
reviving a pint and a piece off the end of a towel will bath
every inch of him, and make him feel twice as good a man. We
relieve D. Coy to-night and I must feel fresh.
The Battalion is being relieved to-morrow so instead of
releiving I am digging a communication trench.

April 22nd.
I got back to rest with my 25 men at 2 a.m. without
having any casualities.
The farms about are all being shelled. It an awful shame
The poor old farmers have ploughed, harrowed and sown their
 

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crops repaired their fences and were ready for Summer; when
they had to run away and leave even their cattle behind them.
I called at the R.A.P. 1st Field Ambulance medical post and
found them with cases of champagne and wine. They had broken
a lot as the men were inclined to get drunk on it. The fellows
had chicken for dinner and any amount of everything to eat.  We
the infantry had lived on bread and jam for days.

April 23rd.                     In charge of No. 6 Platoon.

We are well back now, and it was indeed a treat to have a
few hours sleep away from the shocks of shell fire.
Aeroplanes drop bombs, one hole I saw to-day was the
largest crater I've yet seen, the bomb landed in a field. It
must have made an awful explosion.
The men are happily camped in barns ^about amongst and have a
blanket and coat.  Officers have their valises and a stove to
cook at. B. Coy, is lucky in having Smith as cook as he is
splendid and we have eaten well to day.
Mail in to-day too and all goes well but the Coy. strength
is very low Platoons average 13 men only. We have had 45
casualities in the Coy.
It is a bit rough when a man has to hold a platoon post
with 12 men all told including Lewis gun post, and then receive
orders that there must be no retiring.   Fight on and on. When
asked had I an S.O.S. signal in my post I replied no!! we
deal in 303 (Rifle ammunition) only. And although in both posts
on my right and my left did put up the S.O.S. for artillery
support No. 6 my Platoon, laughed and went on killing Huns,
who seemed to be preparing for attack. Their S.O.S. were not
replied to, which seems very bad indeed, there were gaps of
from 200 to 350 yds. between posts.
Some awful stories of the English troops funking and running 

away are being told on every hand. Both the French
soldiers and civilians on the Somme and here at Meteren say
they were demoralised and broke. Something damn bad must have
 

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happened or the enemy could never have got outside of his
artillery range and I fear that the English reputation of being
"bull dogs" etc. is entirely lost. Both here and on the Somme
a few Australians restored the line the moment they got into
position and had the finest sport of their lives. Without
artillery no troops can possible push back the opposition if
they will fight. It is hard to beleive but it seems quite clear
the English refused to fight and ran away.

April 24th.      Wednesday.
Wells and I were called up at 1 a.m. this morning to take a
picket of 50 men into Castre and arrest every 1st Brigade man in
the village. We searched the houses throughout and never found
a soul, but, oh! the houses and stores had been frightfully
looted and knocked about by the troops;  I don't know by whom.
There has been a good deal of drunkness about but no more than
one might expect. It was rather humorous to see some of our
men putting on ladies combinations to wear as undercloths last
week they were clean and our men have had neither cloths and a
wash for quite a long time.
We got a batch of reinforcements in to-day; they will be
full blown soldiers very soon, if fighting will make them such.
Our 3rd Brigade are attacking Meteren; (they are as usual doing
it in three relays and over four nights; short laid down
objectives that can hardly meet with success and will be a big
waste of good life.) It seems doubly hard to have to give
good lives to regain a high vantage point like Meteren when the
Tommy ran away and left it without firing a shot. It is
frightfully disheartening to us.

April 25th.    Thursday.

I went to bed at 11 p.m. was called 40 minutes later and
told to pack up and get away to the "odds and ends" left over
 

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from the Battalion to form the frame work of a new Battalion
should it be wiped out in the line.  We walked for an hour and
midst shell fire and bomb dropping we have a very rough sleep
in a thin wooden hut.
It has been a quite day, however, though I beleive the
Battalion ran a sports programe and a 10 minutes each way football 
match Officers against All Comers, the former winning by
24 points.   I went over to the 1st Field Ambulance and had
choice of many wines etc.

April 26th.     Friday.
I had a good warm shower bath this morning. Lunch with
1st Field Amb, and a game of bridge this afternoon.  Lost 3
francs. I am trying to write again but tis painfully slow.
I have stiff back fairly bad just now. This really is why
I am remaining out of the line this time.
I learn that my good friend and pal Jack Pidcock has died
of wounds.  I must write his Mother and Bessie Blaxland. "Pido"
was with Bro. Berts battery on the Somme.

April 27th.    Saturday.
My stiff back is pretty bad just now. It is a miserable
kind of trouble as a fellow has nothing to show for it, and
could easily be malingering. It is remarkable how a fellow
hopes and longs for a smack from a shell or bullet so as to get
away from this business for a while; this is not my case as
much as the fact that I cannot get well. I havent felt decently
well for a long time now.
Have written Bessie Blaxland five pages.   She lost a good
lover and its so difficult to console one in such circumstances.

April 28th.     Sunday.
Parades as usual to-day, no Church services for us.
I have been playing quiet tennis and find it a jolly good
 

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game seeing that we have very little else to do. There are 7
officers and about 60 men here as a nucleus Bn. We cannot come
out of door much in the day time for fear of observation and at
night time there is nothing to do or nowhere to go. We play a
little bridge at 1 franc per 100. Poker I do not play it runs
into gambling for higher stakes than officers can afford and
some of them cant pay their mess accounts now.

April 29th.    Monday.
The 9th Bn. are camped with us now; fellows named Hall and
Bengeman came and talked about Ch. Towers. George Barr also
came along and chatted, but their are very few I know amongst
them I fear.
My lumbago or bruised back and pelvis threatens trouble for
me, its pretty bad. We are having a fine loaf, if I were only
well enough to enjoy it properly.

April 30th.    Tuesday.
I had a look at the line we have to man in case of the
enemy breaking through. It is well back and no German army can
break it down if the "Tommy" will stand his ground and fight.
A "Tommy" is reputed to have said "that here are we trying to
end the war and the damn Australians come along and spoil to
whole thing by holding the Hun back." This is a pretty
position; certainly it is not a general idea but even if a few
have this kind of thing in mind, there is nothing but defeat and
disaster staring us.  Some of the articles in the papers (those
cursed London dailys) have an awfully depressing effect on anybody 

who reads them. Yesterday I read a leading article booming

 the Russian type of aeroplane and then saying that all
Russias aerodromes and factories were in German hands and they
were turning them out rapidly, so rapidly in fact that now
America has disappointed us in the small number she is producting 

we have no hope of holding the enemy in the air. Be this
as it may the hopes of the entire British Army is built on our
air service and we think it is doing very well and its a curse
 

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for newspapers to break their soldiers hearts like this.

May 1st.    Wednesday
There are several batteries around here and naturally shells
fall fast around, Bombs at times (night) are plentiful and shell
gas comes regularly; still we have 3 and sometimes 4 brass bands
playing, officers playing quiet tennis and everybody happy.
May day to-day.  I remember planting a whole lot of trees
on May day in Australia.  Arbour Day we called it!! When the
School children in Kalgoolie planted 1,5000 pepper trees.
Perhaps our Arbour Day does not fall in May though. May does
not represent Spring in Australia. Here there are great rejoicings.  

We rejoice also at the prospects of approaching Summer 

and shorter nights on watch in the line.

May 2nd.    Thursday.

"Hasty" a'Beckett and I called on Colonel Brennan of the
1st Field Amb, last night and drank his wines and licquors.  He
told me to come and live with him for a few days and get my back
right. He sent a car for me this afternoon, and to-night I
sleep in No. 15 C.C.S. as Dr. Connor in his examination of my
back said it was a spinal trouble and not lumbago so I had
better hop off and get the best of treatment for it at once as
it was quite serious.
I got blown away with a section of a trench some days ago
but although my back has been stiff and sore, I dident expect
it to develope into trouble as above.

May 3rd.    Friday.
The C.C.S. Doc. had a very rough look at me this morning
and said he thought it was purely a muscular trouble and no
signs of any thickening of the spine. I hope he's right but
I wish also that he had taken more notice of it.
I am being pushed on to the Base to-night I have no idea
where to nor do I bother much, but above all places keep me
 

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away from the 3rd London General Hospital. I should like to
stay in France, but that will be a little dead perhaps as I
will probably have to stay in doors. Scotland would please
me immensely.

May 4th.    Saturday.

Up at 6 a.m. and the lovliest bath imaginable.  Its months
since I had as nice, soft water. I am at Princes' Hotel Hospital 

Boulongue, with No. 8 British Red Cross people and it
looks alright.
My window looks out over the narrow confines of the Harbour. 
The Doc. has had a look at me and an X ray picture
taken. It was daylight until nearly 10 o'clock so it is
almost summer now.
I bought the London Telegraph 1d. paper to-day for 3d.
the regular selling price I beleive. There seems to be something 
very wrong here, 1d. paper 22 miles away costing 3d.

May 5th.   Sunday.

It has been a very nice day, even if it did rain for ½
an hour in the afternoon and drive the promenaders of which
there were mostly soldiers and sailors of different nations
as well as lots of W.A.A.Cs. These much abused girls look very
smart indeed.
The Doctor has marked me down for England and endorsed
the finding of Doc. Connor of 1st Field Amb. "Osteo-artharites
of the lumber vertebrae."  Just what this means I don't know
quite, but it only requires rest and treatment they say.
This is quite a nice Hospital no military rush or bother.

May 6th.    Monday.                 Arrived 3rd L.G.H.

I am going across to "Blighty" at 1.45 p.m. to-day.
am not over keen on the transaction would prefer the South
of France or the country part of England, Scotland for choice.
The day is fine and the sea very smooth. I have had a
 

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pleasant stay here. An Irish Priest is in the room with me,
he drinks, smokes and tells doubtful stories. The girls about
are bright and very pleasing.
I had a comfortable cot going across and landed at Dover
in a very uneventful way.  Arrived at Charing Cross at 2 p.m.
and motored out to 3rd L.G.H.

May 7th.   Tuesday.
In bed all day but got out to wash etc.  I am not a bit
tired or sleepy regardless of broken nights rest I got.
On arrival at the Hospital I had choice of Wards, and
went to F. Ward.  I was in the same Ward 12 months ago. I
wanted to go to A.11 also!!  It was mighty hard to choose. I
am not sorry I came here although I expected Sister McIntyre
to be in charge of it, and she is next door. I wrote to the
Bank and other people to-day. Capt. Hayward Moffat dropped in
to see me. It was a treat to see the fine old fellow.

May 8th.   Wednesday.

Capt. Edgley came in to-day also Alex Neilson and Capt.
George Mann.  I quite enjoyed the day, it was warm and full
of Spring air.  Helen Wilson came in for ½ an hour and went
off to Eastbourne.
I did not stay in bed to-day. I found though, that I
cannot stand walking about my back got awfully sore moving
about the Wards. There are a number of our Bn. officers
about the Hospital.
There is a rumpus in the House of Commons over General
Maurice's letter stating that Lloyd George told lies concerning 

the strength of the British army in France and other
military facts. Now there is going to be days wasted in the
House discussing a "No confidence" motion and the countries
honour at stake on the battle field can go to pot until
there have settled their political dispute and discouraged
millions of people.  Its an awful scandle, and if General
Maurice is not punished and disrated for his treatchy it will
be a greater scandle. I don't expect anything to be the
 

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outcome of the whole thing though. These Englishmen beat the
world for sham and waste. If they win this war it is a
thousand times more than they deserve.

May 9th.   Thursday.
There is nothing settled about my back, two further X ray
pictures were taken to-day and a sample of urine taken.  Food
seems to be a pretty tight matter in the Hospital and we are
not going to live in luxury here. I miss the sugar more than
anything else; but I don't suppose we can grumble!!  But at
the same time one might expect equal rations in Hospital to
that which the army get. Living at the Warminster Base is
60% better than here.

May 10th.    Friday.
Mr. Carroll, a promement theatrical, called to see me today.  

I found him very fine and will probably see more of him
later. After he had gone it came to me after discussion with
my mates that it would be an excellent idea to get a bunch of
stage girls out to see us; so I wrote him to arrange same and
I have good reason to beleive that it will eventuate alright.
Kathleen called with a bunch of flowers. I don't know her
other name but she was quite nice though rather small and with
the wrong coloured hair yellow.

May 11th.    Saturday.
I am in bed, though I did run out for a few minutes when
Hickey and John called. Later Alex. Neilson called. I am
doing very well for visitors to date, not that I much want
them as I don't ever find time drag or dull. I wrote home
to-day and I will have to get busy with my Australian mail.
We are getting some very fine flowers in the ward so nice
smelling and bright. I got a jolly good rubbing from a blind
to-day which will do my back the world of good. I dont want
it to get better all at once.