A Rifleman's Journal

11th August 1917
Into the trenches - The Third Battle of Ypres

Left billets in Abeele at 12 noon.
Half hour train journey.
March through Dickebusch to bivvies.
Wet. Strafed. ("Shrapnel Corner")

Original diary entry

Original journal notes

"On August 11th, the Queen's Westminsters moved by train from Abeele to Ouderdom (about seven miles south-west of Ypres), and then marched to Chateau Segard. Here they bivouacked for the night in a muddy field, with no better cover than could be obtained from their ground-sheets rigged up into rough shelters. In spite of the discomfort and continuous shelling throughout the night, the men were in good spirits and were kept interested by the guns of the 8 inch Howitzer batteries which were in action all around."
Excerpt from "The War History of the 1st Battalion Queen's Westminster Rifles 1914-1918" [ISBN 1-84342-610-2]

Google Maps entry for Ouderdom here
Google Maps entry for Dickebusch (Dikkebus) here
Google Maps entry for Chateau Segard here
Google Maps entry for Ypres here

10th August 1917

Sick.
Route march.
11am until 1:30pm physical, etc.
Afternoon kip.
Dominoes.

Original diary entry

Original journal notes

9th August 1917 - Letter

Letter to Ernie's sister Daisy and her husband Ralph ...

9th August 1917

Sick. Light duty.
Billet policeman.
Quiet time.
Dominoes with Smale, Schneider and Bradley.

Original diary entry

Original journal notes

8th August 1917

Sick.
Physical, gas drill, etc.
One hour's route march through Boeschepe.
Letter from home.
Heavy rains. Bivvy leaks.

Original diary entry

Original journal notes

7th August 1917

Reveille 7am.
Gas drill.
Slept, read, and wrote remainder of day.
Letters home.

Original diary entry

Original journal notes

6th August 1917

Sick.
Rifle inspection.
Left La Commune 2pm, marched to Watten.
Entrained 5pm, arrived Abeele (French) / Boeschepe (Belgian) at 8pm.
One hour's march (through Abeele aerodrome).
Pitched tents, bivvies, etc in fields at 11pm.

Original diary entry

Original journal notes

Google Maps entry for Watten here
Google Maps entry for Abele (France) here
Google Maps entry for Boeschepe here
Google Maps entry for Abeele Aerodrome here

5th August 1917 (Sunday)

Sick.
Reading most of day.
Afternoon kip.
Germans using new gas.
Posh parcel from home. Too late for letters home.

Original diary entry

Original journal notes

4th August 1917 - Postcard

Postcard home to Mum ...

The photograph on the postcard is of Rue de Dunkerque, Saint-Omer, France

4th August 1917

The rain still poured down. Following a brief parade at 9:30am came dismissal but our vision of a lazy day in billets was brutally dispelled at 2pm. From that hour until seven in the evening, in extended order, swords fixed on rifles, we “attacked” some unknown objective through the ripe cornfields already flattened by the deluge from the skies. A costly exercise in the light of the compensation payable to the French farmers for damage to their crops.

Sick. Very wet still.
Rifle inspection at 9:20am.
Parade 2pm until 7pm. Extended order by 5 platoon.

Original diary entry

Original journal notes

3rd August 1917

The heavy rain, which had poured continuously for the past week, continued with rarely a break. The frequent lectures were no substitute for the active training of men soon to face the bitter fighting in the Salient. Toughening up measures were called for and at 8:20am with full packs and equipment we took to the road. The only protection from the drenching rain was the ‘ground-sheet’ slung across each man’s shoulders and for mile after mile we trekked in misery – our mood in complete harmony with the weather. When marching ‘at ease’ the old, cheerful, bawdy army songs of the recent past were heard no longer. If we sang at all it was invariably to the haunting strains of “There’s a long, long trail a-winding into the land of my dreams”. Hardly a tune suitable for the rifle step of 140 to the minute but we rarely achieved that pace in Flanders. The Battalion arrived back at 12:30pm soaked to the skin and completely demoralised.

Billet policemen were appointed for the night – an unusual refinement so far as B Company was concerned. Each man performed his allotted stint for two hours on and four hours off along a defined stretch of road near the billet. I took my position at 11:30pm by which time the rest of the Platoon were blissfully enjoying their slumbers. I had long since learned the art of sleeping whilst in the upright position and this occasion was no exception. I woke with some feelings of guilt but, after standing perfectly still for some moments, I turned as nonchalantly as possible and paced the beat. B Company were in safe hands once again!

Sick. Wet.
Parade 8:20am.
Route march until 12:30pm.
Colonel Shoolbred's farewell address.
Billet policeman 11:30pm-1:30am.
2 hours on - 4 hours off.

Original diary entry

Original journal notes

"On August 3rd, Lieut.-Colonel Shoolbred paraded the Battalion for the last time as its commanding officer. He had been an officer in the Regiment since 1888, and had succeeded Lieut.-Colonel C.A. Gordon Clark in the command in February, 1911."
Excerpt from "The War History of the 1st Battalion Queen's Westminster Rifles 1914-1918" [ISBN 1-84342-610-2]

2nd August 1917

Sick. Wet.
Short route march and return.
New German (mustard) gas.
Lecture at 4:30pm by Royal Fusilier Officer.

Original diary entry

Original journal notes

1st August 1917 - Postcard

Postcard home to Mum ...

The photograph on the postcard is of the

Ruines de l'Abbaye, Clairmarais, Saint-Omer, France

1st August 1917

The rainy season had now set in with a vengeance and in lieu of the usual activities in the field we were treated to a further series of lectures in the Company barn. Lt Lowndes chose for his subject “Over the Top” but Lts Marsh and Lloyd contributed less exhilarating subjects. We were a somnalescent crowd by that time and everyone was patently bored with the proceedings. Suddenly large barrels of beer appeared from nowhere and the whole atmosphere changed. The Company Officers who provided the liquor opened the offensive with a quartet but the Captain unfortunately failed to reach his objective. Bradley obliged with “The Village Pump” but the weak French beer was slow in promoting the jollity the occasion demanded.

The day was saved by one Rifleman Elson, a quiet and self-effacing little man who appeared to have no particular friends. Surprisingly Elson expressed his willingness to lead the Company in ‘a few choruses’ but explained with some diffidence that he was a member of the Salvation Army band in private life so his repertoire was somewhat restricted. Elson was the success of the evening. His audience was well acquainted with the Salvation Army tunes and joined in lustily – however the words they sang were not those normally heard with tambourine accompaniment performed by that other army on street corners back in England. Elson was a great sport, he entered into the spirit of the occasion with tremendous verve and the whole of B Company agreed that the performance was worthy of at least a couple of stripes!

Sick. Very wet. No parades.
Lectures by Mr Lowndes ("Over the top") and Mr Marsh and Mr Lloyd.
Company concert in barn.
Captain provides beer.
Card home.

Original diary entry

Original journal notes

31st July 1917

Sick. Mess orderly.
Morning - snipers parade.
Patrol work - copse taken.
Afternoon off.
Firing on the range in evening. 200 yards.
Very wet.

Original diary entry

Original journal notes

"The Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele)
The battle opened at 3:50am on July 31st, and in the north considerable progress was made; but 'the difficult country east of Ypres, where the Menin road crosses the crest of the Wytschaete-Passchendaele Ridge, formed the key to the enemy's position, and here the most determined opposition was encountered.' (see Sir Douglas Haig's despatch of January 8th, 1918)
In this area the German first-line system (which included Shrewsbury Forest, Sanctuary Wood, Stirling Castle, Hooge and Bellewarde Ridge) was captured; but the advance was held up in two small woods, known as Inverness Copse and Glencorse Wood. These woods were destined to be the scene of the fighting in which the Queen's Westminsters were engaged twelve days later.
The weather broke a few hours after the attack, and for four days the rain came down in a ceaseless torrent. No words can adequately describe the awful condition to which the ground was reduced. 'The low-lying, clayey soil, torn by shells and sodden with rain, turned into a succession of vast muddy pools. The valleys of the choked and overflowing streams were speedily transformed into long stretches of bog, impassable except for a few well-defined tracks which became marks for the enemy's artillery.' (Sir Douglas Haig's despatch.)"
Excerpt from "The War History of the 1st Battalion Queen's Westminster Rifles 1914-1918" [ISBN 1-84342-610-2]

30th July 1917

Another wet morning and, after the usual makeshifts involving rifle, ammunition and kit inspection, preparation for battle was further improved by more lectures. Lt Lowndes, who always knew his subject, spoke about “Outposts” but Lt Marsh on “Naval Badges of Rank” raised little enthusiasm. We deduced that those in authority were running out of subject matter.

In the afternoon, under Lt Chilton the company snipers established outposts with a view to observing movements some half a mile away across a valley. Each post was manned by two snipers; in theory one man kept his eye on the telescope whilst the other noted down each incident as it took place. In practice Rfn. P.E.Walter and I devised a less exhausting scheme. The job we dreaded could easily be done by one person and taken in short spells whilst the other was free to doze or gather the wild strawberries which abounded in the woods behind us. We were later commended on the accuracy of our report!

1:57	Shot fired.
2:05	Man appears at left hand end of trench.
2:10	Shot fired.
2:11	Running man, left of trench.
2:12	Shot fired from extreme left.
2:14	Signs of digging, left end of trench.
2:15	Shot fired.
2:16	Man appears in shirtsleeves, handkerchief on head, smoking and carrying sandbag at left of trench.
2:17	Second man, rifle at the trail, enters trench at point where parapet repaired.
2:18	Signs of digging at same spot. Two men appear repairing parapet.
2:20	Sniper’s post erected. Men disappear.
2:21	Signalling from sniper’s post.
2:24	Tin hat fixed on parapet.
2:25	Tin hat removed. Signalling from sniper’s post.
2:26	Shot fired from right of sniper’s post.
2:27	Shot from sniper’s post.
2:28	Man appears from top of hill and disappears into sniper’s post.
2:29	Shot from sniper’s post.
2:32	Hat-less and carrying coat, man appears left of sniper’s post, runs towards hill and disappears in trench.
2:34	Same man, apparently, returns to sniper’s post.

The value of the exercise was dubious. Normally telescopes and telescopic rifles were safely locked up in Quartermaster stores and there they remained out of harm’s way when the Battalion was in the line.