Thomas James Richards, Diaries, Transcript Vol. 4, 9 November 1916 - 31 May 1918 - Part 10

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in such ventures as this a whole lot of the party should know
the ground thoroughly; instead of this the 4th Battalion
raiders had never been in this sector before so that the
ground they had to cover was strange ground. Something went
wrong otherwise too, as patrole parties reported that there was
no wire in front of the German lines.
February llth.    Sunday.
It's Sunday but there is no Sunday in it for us, our
work goes on just the same and the guns keep up the same row
and rattle.
I do not go on with my night shift to-night; the 3rd
Brigade are here to relieve us but as there is urgent work
going we stop on over tomorrow. Last night I pushed my men
like the devil, they think I am a nigger driver but the
accommodation must be made for the shelter of our troops
during the daytime and more especially during a bombardment
so the fellows have to go for their lives regardless of what
they think of me.
February 12th.   Monday.
I have been working from 6 a.m. until now 8.30 p.m. In
40 minutes we go out and leave the area to the 3rd Brigade
while we walk back fully 7 miles to Fricourt. Our men are all
in very poor condition just now as they have been heavily
worked and badly fed of late. The bread has been reducted
from 2 1bs. to 1 ½ lb loaves and with two and sometimes four
men to a loaf. There are no vegetables to speak of about
nowadays and these shortages are not made up in any way at all.
It seems to bad altogether.
February 13th.      Tuesday.     Foreign Duckboards.
It was a terrible job to get the men to walk along last
night they were tired and discouraged. To make matters worse
the guide mistook the road and lead us an extra journey, and
the fellows did curse and swear too.
 

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The roads after being thoroughly frozen for about 24
days commenced to thaw during the day and left a moist coating
over the hard surface which was impossible for the fellows to
walk along without slipping and skidding about on. Nearly every
man had a fall and it was fortunate for us that some nasty
accidents did not occur. When we got back to Fricourt Farm the
men were dragging along for half a mile back. Many of them
gave up and lay down on the snow not caring what happened. It
was to far to bring the men from the front line and more particularly 
on the short issue of rations that was available for
them of late.
I got to bed (in pyjamas for the first time) by 2.30 a.m.
and slept until 11 o'clock. I was tired as I carried my heavy
pack and two blankets the whole way. After breakfast I found
that the men's rations had not come to hand, so I had to get
a horse and ride along to arrange for their delivery. I
enjoyed the immensely.
February 14th.    Wednesday.
Up at 8 o'clock and a real good bath by 12 o'clock. Clean
underclothes and a clean hide now. I believe its worth going
without a bath just for the joy of feeling so well after having
the clean up.
There was a freez last night but the sun is shining to-day
and the ground again thawing. I fear that the thaw has
commenced alright. There is a whole lot more bird life about
just now, which looks like the coming of springtime.
I was just wondering to-day what the reaction is going to
be after the war. At present some of the men seem to think
that they will always look back upon it with horror and want
to forget it all, at the same time settle down quietly and
live any kind of live in comfort. But I have a different idea
of matters, Some men no doubt will settle down nicely other
will have acquired a roving spirt a wander lust but all will
I am certain look back upon the brighter incidents of the
military life forgetting the rough and cruel side of the life.
 

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No! everybody will recall and recount these months of war
with pride and enthusiasm. The experiences will alter the
course of many lives and mostly for the worse I fear, as the
past 2 years would change any persons life and ideas of
living.
Mess expenditure for 4 officers for 16 days while living
at the "Coughdrop."
Jan. 28th   goods                     30 francs
   "     29th       "                           20    "
   "     31st         "                           20.25  "
Feb. 2nd         "                           14.50   "
   "     4th   Whiskey doz.          50       "
    "     4th   goods                      25        "
    "      7th       "                            18.70   "
                                                      ________
                                                     178.45
Amounting to 46 francs per man.
We lived very well on this. The batman had to walk back
a few miles to the canteens for the goods.
It is very annoying to find that we are going to be hung
up in this cold camp for 16 days isolated and away from all
and everybody.
February 15th.   Thursday
It is pleasing to know that we move out to-morrow for
Braile and go into billets. We should at least have a room to
sleep in and a fire to cheer us up a little.
I had a great bath the other day, to-day I took my men
down and got them through the bath and out again with clean
underwear.
I have both thrown and fired off bombs to-day for the first
time. There were a whole lot of fellows at it and the cost in
bombs must have been considerable. But at the same time very
necessary.
February 16th.     Friday.
There was a whole lot of shooting going on around about
our camp early this morning. Some of the explosions were
caused no doubt by the reports of our own guns but I beleive
there was a lot of bomb dropping going on in the early moon-light.
 

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These German aeroplanes seem to choose only moon-light
night to visit our area and play up. According to Brigade
Hdqs. the Germans have brought up a high volocity gun and they
are asking if anyone could supply them with the direction it
is firing from by tracing the course of the shell. There is
no doubt that Fritz could kill more men back in this area in
their villages of half round huts than he could up in the
trenches.
Anyhow, everything is quite to-night as we have marched 8
miles to-day and are now quarted in billets in the village of
Braile. There seems to be no coal available at all. The
French people complain bitterly and have to use wood.
It seems clear now that the weather has broken, and that
the thaw has at last set in, so we must expect wet feet and
general discomfiture during our return to the line.
In marching to-day there were a whole lot of men fell out
of the lines with bad feet. I fancy too that the men have
weak hearts also and soon throw in the sponge. There is a new
French preparation now being used for the feet instead of
whale oil. The whale oil seems to have done a lot of good; the
effects of the rubbing would be beneficial at any rate, but
it certainly softened the feet so that the slightest chaffing
of the boots made the feet very sore.
The whole country side in coming out to-day was very quite.
There was very little movement about; and thousands of men
from the different "sight seeing" units have gone right from
this zone. The big motor cars that race from Albert to Amiens
loaded up to 3 tons with materials are very few in numbers now.
This may be accounted for by the railway being repaired and
working right into Albert, but yet there seems to be thousands
of troops taken away from this area of late.
A good parcel from Miss N. Hill to-day. It is indeed
mighty good of her. Papers also arrived.
February 17th.    Saturday.
The weather which I have been watching so interestingly of
 

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late has now broken without a doubt. Indeed it is now raining
a little, the first rain we've had for some weeks, and there
are evidences of spring's approach is the feel of the atmosphere 
and the activity of the birds.
Regular parades have commenced again; the necessity for
instilling discipiline into the men is being strongly enforced
upon us. But as far as this urgent matter goes it is impossible
for me to work up to with my limited knowledge of military affairs.
My mining platoon was disbanded this morning they go back
to their respective company until the Battalion return to the
line again.
Our tactics to-day are all on the offensive. The lecture
to-night dealt also on offensive measures and how to best keep
to men up to these measures.
I am attached to A Company now for duty. Captain Edgley
is in command and as he knows the game and keeps his men well
up to the work I think that I am going to learn a whole lot
about the game.
The lovly old Lieut. Moffat gave Dingle & I a lesson on
bayonet fighting and sloping arms etc. Its the first time Ive
handled a rifle for rifle exercises.
February 18th.      Sunday.
Another Sunday gone by. We started the day as usual with
drill or all kinds from 8.30 to 12 o'clock. In practising
shooting from the hip with the rifle while advancing with the
first wave in attack the shooting was fairly good. This idea
seems to me to be an excellent one as it would tend to keep the
enemys heads down when the artillery barrage had passed over
their trenches.
At Church service in the brewery building this afternoon
the men did not raise sufficent spirit to sing a hymn: although
the padre might have been somewhat to blame as he sings very
flat indeed and starts all the songs in a flat, nasty tone and
nobody trys to follow him. Even with "God Save the King" there
 

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was a miserable response.
At the lecture 9.30 p.m. or as the military folk would
put the time, 1930. Each officer had to say something on
"offensive spirit and how to maintain it. They even called on
myself to say a few words which was rather nasty of the Major
seeing that I have had no school when all of the others have;
but I mentioned the hip shooting when advancing to an attack
as being a extra arm to the fighting strength of the "first
wave."
February 19th.    Monday.   (Dingle)
This morning while at live bomb throwing a really terrible
accident happened. Harry Dingle a splendid man in every respect
and a clear straight fellow. He came over from the 1st Field
Ambulance with me, and after a fortnight at a bombing school
took charge of the Battalion bombers. He was getting on splendidly 
with his work and this morning while throwing live bombs
from a pit or rather a square set of trenches built for the
purpose, one bomb burst immediately the lever was released
instead of on the 5 seconds time fuse, this means that the bomb
burst about 6 feet over the head of the thrower, killing the
thrower badly wounding Harry Dingle and another man while 11
other men were, more or less, slightly wounded. A mills bomb
or hand grenade is roughly l½ lbs. in weight, it has 8 pieces
in its make-up, but on bursting the outside casing breaks into
48 pieces with astounding force. Good hand throwers can throw
them 48 yards; but so as to ensue the bomb landing in a trench
it must be thrown up high into the air. In throwing, say 15 or
20 yards the bomb should go very high into the air so that the
5 seconds will have burnt down when it lands on the enemy
position so that he has no time to throw it away, run away himself 
or the deaden its effects by dropping a sand-bag on top
of it, or other means.
This mornings accident was due to a defect of some kind;
most likely the bomb lining had a hole in it so that when the
striker pin struck the cap which ignites the short piece of
safety, fuse and burns around to the detonator (or the mining
 

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type No, 6). In this case however the slight explosion
of the cap must have connected with the detonator through a
flaw in the lining partition and the detonator in turn exploded
the charge of ammonal 3 ozs. and caused the result aforesaid.
Now, when 3 ozs. of ammonal will scatter with such affect one
might well imagine what damage is wrought by the larger bombs
with charger up to 50 lbs. of ammonal in them.
This morning however it hurt me worst than I thought anything 
possibly could to see poor old honest Dingle lying down
struggling for his breath with his brain protruding from a
wound high up on the forehead. I did not think he had one
chance in a hundred of getting through: yet I could not conceive 
that his maker was prepared to claim him in such a manner.
Had he received the same injury over the parapet I would grieve
not as it would then be an end that no man could despise and
one which Dingle himself would not have attempt to evade or
have otherwise. It is a sad case indeed.
I heard to-night that another man had died.
February 20th.   Tuesday
I heard while out on parade in the wet and mud this morning
that Harry Dingle had died; I should have expected this result
but I did not think that a man with such high ideals and who had
lived so clean a life could be taken off this plane without
having a fighting chance for his life. The ways of God of
indeed strange. Now, I must write his Mother. He loved his
Mother beyond words she was all in all to him and my task is
a hard one.
We have been on a night attacking scheme to-night. It was
quite a success and I believe a necessary training as men in
attack get hopelessly lost at night time.
I went into B Companys billets later and there was Hayward
Moffet burning a piece of a gum leaf and the smell was the
finest thing I've known for years. It immediately took me
right away into the bush. Oh it was grand. Never did I think
 

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the smoke was so wonderful. Ah I can't describe the effects
it makes me long for Home and the bush once again.
There is rain and slush everywhere, the sky is downcast
and dismal; All we can hope for is an early spring and a good
Summer.
There has been 8 men drawn from the 1st Field Ambulance
and given commissions in the 1st Battalion during the last
5 months. At the moment there are only 2 with the Battalion,
2 are dead 1 lost a leg, 1 an eye, ones hand is twisted and
dead and 1 in hospital.
February 21st.    Wednesday.
There are growing signs of Spring about. This morning I
heard a skylark singing and saw a flower forcing its way up and
tender shoots springing up amongst the grass.
There are a whole lot of moles about here. Their little
hills of earth are plentiful and I have caught several of the
rather pretty fur coated animals and enjoyed watching them
burrow their way down through the earth and out of sight.
They have a pig like snout and a mouth very small and lacking 
harmful teeth. Their four feet are webbed and each of the
toes armed with strong claws which they dig out and throw back
the dirt with. We move up to-morrow. I wish we were moving
back for a few weeks spell; but I don't like staying here as the
parades each day bother me a whole lot. I have charge of a
platoon and don't know anything about their orders. But I am
getting hardened to my mistakes now and easily pass over them
when I know they should be of the greatest concern. I fear I
don't take my part nearly serious enough, then again its one
cannot learn anything with all the months of routine and
monotony that have been passed through.
There was another night attacking scheme on to-night. We
marched along the road and onto the water logged ground at 6
p.m. returning about 8 p.m.
 

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February.22nd.    Thursday.
We moved out of Bresle at 9.30 and marched, on a dull
misty day, 8 miles into Fricourt where we have taken up the
same hut billets as we had 6 days ago. Once again we are
within distant range of the enemy guns, but the effect of
same is unnoticable either with myself or round about.
The Company marched very well to-day. I was bring up the
rear 2nd in command of the company on horseback and had very
little trouble in keeping the fellows in step and covered off
decently although they were tired at the latter stages.
February 23rd.    Friday.
Orders came through very late last night that the whole of
A. Company (to which I have been attached) is to form a fatigue
party and go forward to Bazantine Camp. So at 8 o'clock the
Coy. pushed out. I went along on horseback later located the
billets found out the working place (laying cables in a trench
after digging the trench 7 ft. in depth.
We are near the 1st Field Ambulance, I looked in on them
to-day and had tea with Capt. Stack and Colonel Williams. The
men say that since Colonel Shaw has gone away the Ambulance is
all knocked about and discontented. The men say that they cant
get enough to eat either. This complaint is general, and as
bad even is the difficulty in obtaining boots. Many of our
men are walking through on the ground but cant get boots, and
they have to keep up on the march; No one can ger permission
to fall out in A Company. Capt. Edgley seems hard on them. One
chap complained that he was "chatty" (lousy) and wanted the
afternoon to go and get a bath. Captain look at him and said.- -
"Yes! we'll all chatty and a damn good job too it gives us
something to do scratching, it also massages the skin and the
rubbing keeps one warm, so your' very lucky lad and you must
come on parade this afternoon."
I went down to the Field Ambulance to-night to get some
cough mixture.
 

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February 24th.   Saturday.
Bombing School at X.23.d.3.2. This is the only direction
we had other than to report there at 9 am. or rather 0900. It
was the devil of a place to find and kept us wandering about in
the mud, which is deep and sticky just now; When we found the
spot the lecturer was a rather poor man; he could not lecture
and persisted in adopting the air of a lecturer instead of an
ordinary speaker and kept inviting discussion all throughout
his remarks so that he would built up a good line of lecturing
talk and also give his listeners (of 6 officers) a chance to
learn the ways of the different bombs. In the afternoon I went
on paying with Capt. Edgely. The new pay books show up the
exact position of each mans fanancial standing. It was surprising 
how many men are over-drawn and when informed the surprised
look on their faces was pathetic.
I find my book is overdrawn £2- 4- 0 as it stands; but
at the currant date I have really £1O to my credit. I am entitled 
to draw 14/6 per day now so I am alright particularly
as I have a full equipment of clothes etc.
There are likely sounding rumours afloat about our going
out of the Somme area back to Flanders. This is indeed joyful
news as we are fed up and tired of this devastated zone and
should have a change.
February 25th.    Sunday.
There was a heavy frost last night. We are all hoping very
keenly that the ground will freeze up again and give us dry footing
When our fatigue parties were ready to move out this morning a
"Runner" came through from Battalion that all fatigues were cancelled 
and the Coy, hold itself ready to move forward at a moments
notice. There is no doubt something doing in the line. A German
attack perhaps, or our attack and we may be wanted to hold off
any possible counter attack. Anyhow we are all ready and waiting.
I find that surprising things are happening on our front