Opening Days of the Somme
by
Lt. E. L. Gedye
Introduction
On the 22 November 1859, the Gloucestershire Volunteer Artillery was formed, making it's headquarters at the Artillery Ground, Whiteladies Rd. Clifton, Bristol. The unit started with five batteries with a sixth added later.
Starting in 1906, the Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane's Reforms were designed to better prepare the armed forces for future wars and involved a reorganization of the regular, volunteer and militia forces. The Territorial and Reserve Forces Act of 1907 saw the formation of the Territorial Force which consisted of fourteen infantry divisions, fourteen cavalry brigades, and a large number of support units including fully established divisions, provided with field artillery, companies of engineers and crucial supply services, including medical provision.
The Gloucestershire Volunteer Artillery became the 1st (South Midland) Brigade RFA (T) in 1908, with a further change of name in 1915 to the 240th Brigade RFA (T), under which it served throughout the First World War.
Lt. E. L. Gedye
Edward Leonard Gedye was the son of George Edward & Lillian Gedye, of 39, St Johns Rd, Clifton, Bristol. He was educated at Queens College, Taunton, and joined the Gloucestershire Royal Field Artillery (Territorial) as a gunner in 1912. He was Gazetted Second Lieutenant on 7 February 1914, and to Lieutenant on 29 August, 1914, and when war broke out he was one of the first Territorials to volunteer for active service.
In March 1915, as brigade orderly officer he went out with the British Expeditionary force, and in the autumn was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. He was among those mentioned, by Sir John French in the November dispatches. Before the great advance commenced, he had been at his own request attached to his old battery in a territorial unit of the R.F.A. and was constantly in action from the beginning of July onwards. Then he was temporarily attached to another battery, and while so serving was killed while engaged on a dangerous piece of working in the hope of saving others on 23/24 August 1916, aged 23.
In a letter to his father, the Battery Commander wrote:
I do not know if you have already heard how your son was killed; in case you have not, I will tell you as nearly as I can. The evening before a bomb-store near by was hit by the enemy, and two explosions occurred. At about midnight on the 23rd your son was on duty at the battery and noticed a fire amongst a large pile of bombs and other ammunition. He called out to a gunner, 'Come on, we must put this out' and together they went up to it with buckets of water. The gunner was returning with an empty bucket and passed your son on his way up to the fire with a second bucket. A few seconds afterwards the explosion occurred. We buried him in the English military cemetery near by and we are having a cross-made to mark his grave.
Twice mentioned in despatches, the deceased officer, whose career was cut short in the performance of a gallant act, was a keen cricketer, and used to be a member of Westbury Cricket Club. Lt. Gedye is rememered in Aveluy Communal Cemetery, Somme, France (G.46).
The Letters
Sat. 24/6/16 (24 June 1916)
My darling Mother,
I told you this morning that I would put down the happenings of each day and send them on to you when I had accumulated enough matter to make a respectable letter. As a matter of fact, I shall not be able to send this off until events have moved so far; that the information I give will no longer be of use to the enemy.
Well, the day for which we have waited and, incidentally worked is almost at hand. Today is the first day of bombardment and within a week I hope we shall have pushed the German line back considerably. I am not such a blind optimist as to think that we are going "right through" and finish the war, but I do think that we ought to make a big dent in the Bosche line and possibly even break it temporarily.
Certainly a great, deal hangs on the success or otherwise of this push of ours. If we can make a real good thing of it, it ought, in conjunction with the Russian successes and the un-comfortableness of life in Germany, to go a long way towards making the civilian Bosche think that the sooner he gets out of the war the better.
The Colonel brought home a cheering piece of news last night. It is estimated that we are putting into the fight on this Army front alone about 10 men to every single Bosche at present against us. And that at the outside, the enemy can only bring up sufficient troops to make the difference just over 2 to 1 so that, if we do get beyond their trenches we ought to go some way before we have to stop.
After dinner yesterday, I went up to the O.P. to superintend the final preparations, chairs, tables, petrol cans with fresh water, numerous anti-gas appliances, lights, provisions, primus stove oil, and a hundred other things necessary to the proper conductance of war. We loaded the Doctors cart with all the items and started out, 5 beside myself. It began to rain just after we left Sailly and I don't think it stopped for the rest of the night, except for a few hours while we were in the O.P.
The Observation Post
The O.P. is in a very shallow trench on the forward slope of our crest. It is really a portion of the trench covered with iron pails, corrugated iron and dead grass and floored with concrete. In the centre is a horizontal slit divided by window frames into three. Each frame consists of four outside pieces of wood with wire netting nailed across; the netting is threaded with grass both real and imitation.
The whole thing can be raised or lowered at will by means of a thick piece of wire fixed to the centre of the frame and bent at the other end to fix in a notched piece of wood, so that the height can be regulated' As a matter of fact the window is never raised more then three or four inches, as with that one can get a beautiful view of the German lines. At one end of the O.P. is a perpendicular shaft 25 feet deep; leading to the signaller's dugout, which also is our funk hole in case of necessity. A ladder is nailed on one side of the shaft, but the journey up and down is a very unpleasant one as there are only the rungs to hold on to and they are usually thick with mud.
When we got up there, the Sappers had not quite finished and after carting our stores as far as the O.P. we had to wait for their party to out before we could start to pack our things away, the corporal in charge assured me he would only keep me 10 minutes. At the end of half an hour he thought it wouldn't be much more than 10 minutes longer, but at 1am - 2 hours after we had got there he got a little less optimistic and thought that it might take the best part of a quarter of an hour.
However he got clear eventually and we woke up and got on with our job. I don't like to think of the walk back-it rained the whole time and for about 10 minutes a good deal harder then that. None of us had coats and I fell down 3 times - once in a full shell hole and twice in the mud! By 3o'clock I was in bed asleep.
Start the War well
I started the war well this morning - breakfast at 11.30a.m. The bombardment of course had already started, but it was not very strenuous.
At 3o'clock I started off to relieve Benson at the O.P., the Bosche were dropping a number of 150mm How's just in front of a French 75mm battery that has come down - so they say to fire a new shell, full of gas more poisonous than any even the Bosche has yet invented, as the shells were falling uncomfortably close to our track we slid over into a communication trench and ploughed our way up through that.
Soon after we reached the O.P. the Bosche started shelling a quarry beside of us, which, he appears convinced, is used as an O.P. it used to be.
The busting shells were quite close enough to us and made a terrific din and showered pieces of metal over our little shanty. After half an hour's gazing, I discovered, in front of Puisieux, rings of smoke rising from behind a crest. And every time a ring was blown up, a 6-inch shell started on its journey towards us. Reported accordingly by wire-"smoke rings from 150mm battery shelling quarries visible at Gr------". Of course they may be fakes, but I don't think so, as a battery has been discovered in action there before.
Nothing else of interest to see to day except two ammunition wagons or a gun and wagon that I spotted on a road 8 to 10 miles away. Owing to this confounded Day-light Saving scheme, observation is possible up to 9.39 pm and I have to stay here until then, before I can start on my homeward journey.
Sunday 25/6/16 (25 June 1916)
Fresh Air Habit
I had rather a disturbed night chiefly owing to the guns just behind us that loosed off on an average every half hour. About midnight Stanley rang up to say that they had had two casualties - one killed and one wounded, I was, of course, very sorry to hear this but at the moment my chief feeling was one of annoyance at having been disturbed just as I had got to sleep.
I am not due at the O.P. until noon, the Bosche is much quieter to day and one can walk over the plain without much fear from that side. The chief danger from walking above ground is from prematures from our own guns, every road and track being enfiladed by at least one battery. It appears that the two men knocked out in the 1st battery [I can't bring myself to say A battery - it sounds too much like the new army) were victims of the Fresh Air Habit. I count myself a fairly strong devotee of the F.A.H. but I'm hanged if I would sleep in a bivouac on the outskirts of Hebuterne especially at a time like this. I am awfully sorry for the two poor fellows but really they ought not to have expected much else.
While at the O.P., I was delighted to see one of our heavy batteries tackle the battery I had spotted the night before. For twenty minutes the place was completely obscured by smoke and dust, and I doubt if we shall hear from the same guns again, certainly not from the same position.
I had had a very good view of the 1st Battery cutting wire during the afternoon. It was in front of the German Third line and no one could have wished to see better shooting. Hardly a round was wasted, at the end of the shoot, a complete gap some 20 or 25 yards wide had been cut through the wire and a loophole or machine gun emplacement behind had been smashed up.
Monday 26/6/16 (26 June 1916)
Sausages, Airplanes and Smoke
More good news to-day, shortly after I had left the O.P. yesterday afternoon, our airplane's attacked the three enemy observation balloons opposite us with incendiary bombs and succeeded in destroying all three. They were seen to descend in flames, that means a lot to us gunners, as the sausages have been locating our battery positions very accurately lately. It must have been a pretty difficult task for our machines, as the sausage is usually hedged round with Archie's; also he lives some way behind the lines. In spite of Mr. P. B. I don't think we need worry about air supremacy just yet
Our Balloons have moved up much closer to-day and I should say they must be within gun-range, probably as a result of having no balloons to help them, the German How's were making very poor practice against the 3rd Battery this morning. As I went past about half past seven, they were sending over a large number of 150mm shells, all two or three hundred yards plus.
Quite an interesting morning at the O.P., at ten minutes past ten after a heavy bombardment of the Bosche trenches we discharged a cloud of smoke followed five minutes later by another and larger cloud of gas. I don't quite know what the object was probably to put the wind up the Boshes and find out how many guns he has got. It was rather a horrible sight,
From 20 or 30 different points in our trenches a thick white cloud oozed out, changing to brown when the gas was turned on: well, the devils over the way started it, but I think they will wish they hadn't before we finish with them. It is the first time I have seen gas being discharged, although at Plugstreet we saw the first cloud as it drifted down from poor old wipers.
We have shifted all our Soda water [and other] bottles into the new dugout to day. I expect poor Sally will get it in the neck when we start on their billets.
The civilians were moved out on Friday and were very sad to see them go, our landlord a great sportsman with the single defect of getting drunk once a week; he was so sad at having to go that he overstayed the time and did not leave until Saturday morning. He bade me a fervent "au revoir", and hoped it would be the last time we should have to do battle with the Bosche and expressed his intention of trying to get permission to come back for a little while the next day.
His wife who was resplendent in black with bonnet to match and all shimmering with beads, was equally enthusiastic and said the old man was dying to take a hand in the battle himself. Then they mounted the farm cart which contained the whole of their possessions, including, I regret to say, the fowls on which we have relied for breakfast eggs, and drove off to the accompaniment of much waving of hands and lifting of caps.
Tuesday 27/6/16 (27 June 1916)
Bad luck
Here's rotten luck! I was smitten last night with a sudden and violent attack of the Flu and have been in the throes of fever all day. At about 8 am the Bosche started to shell us with a heavy gun, one round every 4 or 5 minutes and after one had fallen about 50 yards away I thought I should be better off below ground, so I got Harris to shift my bed into the dugout.
Wednesday 28/6/16 (28 June 1916)
I felt too seedy to write yesterday, as a mater of fact there was very little worth noting, except that four or five 8 inch shells fell quite close to us; one being within 50 yards or so. It did not worry me very much though, as I was far too miserable to be upset by anything the Bosche could do, short of putting a round actually on the top of my bed.
The dugout, in which I am now living - sharing it with Weill, the interrupter, is off the type known as a "Elephant house" If you can imagine a length of about 18ft of tube railway removed from it's surroundings and placed in a square hole some 14ft deep, entrance is through a long mined passage one end and a shaft for ventilation and light the other, you will get some idea of our funkhole. The interior is semi-circular, 6ft high in the centre and pitch black except for a pallid light that filters down through the shaft. It is quite roomy when illuminated by a lamp and two or three candles it becomes almost cheerful. I am quite happy down here, as I know I need not run out when the Bosche starts to shell the place, as he has done two or three times a day. Benson came down about 8 o'clock this morning with collar and tie in his hand. The morning hate had caught him in the middle of his toilet, which he thought would be better completed below ground.
The Colonel has just looked in to say that the show has been put off for a day or so no reasons given.
This is better than I deserve, for I should most certainly have missed the great day if the original programme had been carried out.
Friday 30/6/16 (30 June 1916)
Awaiting the Day
Nothing of interest has happened during the last two days.
Tomorrow is "Der Tag"; and the four battery commanders are dining here to night to receive final instructions. As far as can be gathered, the 4th Army attacks on the line SERRE-RIVER SOMME. The 48th Division is in the Corps reserve of the 8th Corps, on the left flank of the army. At the same time we are holding a portion of the front line and have two Brigades of artillery taking part in this bombardment our job in the first phase of the attack is to hold and maintain the flank of the attacking troops against counter attacks.
On our left again, the 3rd army is attacking but between their right and the 4th army left is a small stretch of ground, which we have to keep intact. No attack as yet is being launched over this portion and we do not know what is intended after tomorrow is over Sufficient unto the day!
While we were at dinner, a telegram comes in from division it read as follows:
Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston sends his greetings to General Fanshawe and every officer, N.C.O. and man in the 48th Division. He rejoices to be going into battle with so fine a Division as the 48th as his Corps Reserve. He knows that, when the time comes to put them into the fight he can rely on the men of the SOUTH MIDLAND to bear heavy losses from artillery rifle and machine gun fire and to stick it out and to win though in the end
Very nice, but I think the last few lines might have been put differently I don't quite like the idea of being "relied upon to bear heavy losses"
The view from our O.P. has altered considerably during the three days I have been off duty; the village of SERRE is quite un-recognizable. It used to consist of a wooded belt through which tow barns only were visible. Today there were no trees left; even the hedges had been almost cleared away, and in their places had been substituted a scene from the "Last days of Pompeii". I have never seen such wreckage, except on the screen. It is a tiny little village with only one street and is quite close to our lines. In the last few days it has had guns and Howitzers of every size and description turned on it, from the 18pr field guns to the 15 inch How.
All the buildings are in ruins.
One or two roofs have been lifted off and are leaning drunkenly against the walls that used to support them rather more respectably. The only building left which can boast a roof has lost half of the only wall that we can see and has apparently had a shell burst well underneath it's foundations at one end, for the whole barn has been tilted up and now stands at an angle of about 20 degrees to the horizontal
&quo;Zero Time&quo; - The minute at which the first wave of infantry starts across No Mans Land tomorrow is told to us after dinner it is 7.30 am. The Colonel and Wyley are going up at half past five to watch the final bombardment, Paul Weill and I are going to run up before breakfast to see the assault and I have then to come back here and do one or two jobs before going up to relieve Wyley.
Benson, odd man out, has been given the job of superintending ammunition supply for the batteries.
Saturday July 1st 1916.
Der Tag
It is 6.30 am, just time to write a few lines before we leave.
The bombardment has already started and will increase steadily until about 7.20, when it will reach it's height and will slack off a little as the attack is made.
We had quite a lively night Wyley and Benson were twice driven down into the dugout between two and three by a bombardment apparently directed at our billet but probably meant for the 6 inch How's just behind. I see the garden wall of the house opposite us has been blown down and the Iron Gate has been lifted across the street and is now resting against our wall.
9. a m - Just seen the first lot of infantry go over. The sky was cloudy when we started, but the sun was trying to break through and there was a delightful freshness in the air "A morning for victory" Weill said as we walked up, I hope so.
We found Major Browne's O.P. "Central" deserted when we got to the crest, so we immediately took possession of it. It was at first almost impossible to make out the hostile trenches, the sun of course was against us and the cloud of shell smoke and dust hung all over the valley. About 7.15 am the sun came out and we could just see No Mans Land, the last 10 minutes bombardment, during which smoke was discharged, must have been absolutely hellish. A continuous succession of big shells beat down on the German trenches and on SERRE, covering almost every inch of ground.
I saw several points of light twinkling in the sun and focusing my glasses on them I saw a long line of men forming up, as if for an inspection, in front of our own wire under cover of the cloud of smoke. Then at a slow double they went forward and almost immediately another line began to form up in their places.
The German artillery had been replying fairly vigorously to our bombardment and I dreaded to see them get right amongst our fellows. The Bosche was also putting a stiff barrage on our communication trenches and most of the men found it safer to "go down over the lip" i.e. above ground in twos and threes, I don't think many of these were hit, but I saw one little group of five or six hit by a big shell, there was a cloud of smoke, fragments of earth and God knows what else and as it blew away there was no longer any party there.
I waited for 20 minutes to see if anything could be seen of the assault on the 2nd line, but only a few shadowy figures could be picked out, poised for a moment on the parapet with a bayonet twinkling in the sun.
As I came back, wounded men in parties of two, three or more were straggling back across the plain these of course, are the walking cases only. Their wounds are inspected and dressed at regimental aid post's and if sufficiently lightly hit, they are sent back to the Field Ambulance in charge of a very slightly wounded NCO or an unwounded man.
The other cases are packed off in motor ambulances from the advanced dressing stations, which are usually in dugouts on the outskirts of forward villages like Hebuterne.
And so to Breakfast, for which I manage to raise an enormous appetite.
I am afraid a lot of men must have been knocked out before they reached the German wire and trenches for the Bosche barrage was very severe and strangely enough even before fellows got over the parapet the Bosche artillery was concentrated on the part of the line from which we were going to attack. A little north of the point of exit there was a patch about 200 yds long that was getting no shells at all.
It's wonderful how the enemy seem to know just where we are going to do.
Saturday evening
When I went to the O.P. at 11o'clock this morning, there was no sign of an infantry battle although the guns on both sides were still plugging away. No messages or signals were received from the assaulting party but the Bosche was shelling SERRE and his own trenches in front, so that presumably our fellows have achieved their objective.
We have heard that on our left the London (56th) Division had taken GOMMECOURT and SERRE and were as far forward as ROSSIGNOL WOOD.
Tonight we here are sad rumours flying about, it is said that both GOMMECOURT and SERRE have been retaken while some say that we still hold SERRE, but that the Bosche has got the trenches between us and it.
I was right about the German barrage on our infantry I counted 200 bodies laying in No Mans Land this afternoon. The swine were sniping at any who might not have been killed; the position of the bodies is a wonderful tribute to the gallantry of the attacking force. A lot are quite close to our own wire, others part way across, but the great majority are right against the German parapet and between their first and second lines, showing that although our fellows got into the thick of it right away, they did not give way but went steadily though it and on with the job. Of course I am not an expert in these matters, but it seems rather a remarkable thing to send an assaulting party over at 7.30am and not to send a single reinforcement either of men or ammunition for the rest of the day, not even a reconnoitring party to find out how things were going.
I imagine it could have been done quite easily in small detachments, there would certainly have been losses, but they would have been comparatively slight to those sustained in the original attack.
Sunday 2/7/16 (2 July 2016)
Snipers
My turn to be early at the O.P. the usual few shells came over at us during the night. One demolished a barn in our courtyard and another burst three yards beyond the dug out. Everyone slept below last night so we were not disturbed. After a cup of tea I bicycled across the plain as far as Prideaux's position whence by trench to the O.P. getting there at 7 o'clock.
The Colonel, who slept up there last night in case of any sudden development has no news except that a sergeant of the 31st division is reported to have come through the German lines with a message to the effect that there are over a hundred of our fellows holding a portion of SERRE still.
I don't know if there is any truth in the tale I should say not. The Germans are undoubtedly in their original front line, because I saw several of them go past a point where the trench has been practically levelled. There is a remarkable quietness. Neither side is shooting, probably because neither side knows quite what has happened or what is going to happen next. We hear that our attack further south and the French below the Somme have been successful and that we hold the German Fourth line and a number of villages including the important one of Thiepval. All rumours though and nothing official can be heard for love or money.
Monday 3/7/16 (3 July 2016)
The Bosche fairly put the wind up us last night at tea. Wyley, Weill and I had just started when I caught a familiar whistling sound. I put my hand and said, "Here they come" almost as I said it there were four appalling crumps, two on either side of the house. We opened the window and were nearly choked by the dust and fumes that had drifted in as with one accord we made a dive for the dugout. As we reached it four more 6 inch shells came over and after a minutes interval some more. All told, I think, there were 16.
Net results, one barn pushed over, one house bent a little at one end a big hole in the road and three round our dug out. No one was hurt but our tea was rather spoilt.
Tuesday 4/7/16 (4 July 1916)
I am writing this in an O.P. It has rained hard since 10 o'clock this morning and it is with difficulty that I can keep dry in this rottenly built place. I wish Clissold were up here for the afternoon just to show him how badly Sappers can work. When they make up their minds to it. There is a heavy bombardment in progress some way to the south of us, about Thiepval, I should say. We discovered a wounded man in No Mans land yesterday. We could see him clearly through the telescope. He spent most of the afternoon turning his water bottle upside down hoping to find a drop of water left that he had not discovered, poor devil. I was so perturbed about him that, after locating him on the map just where he was , I went down to the battalion H.Q. covering that part of the line.
The colonel, who seemed quite overwhelmed to think that a gunner of another division should have taken so much trouble, gave me a guide to take me down to the company commander, to whom I offered my services.
However, when I described the position of the wounded man he said that they had already seen him and were going to bring him back in as soon as it got dark enough. Twenty-six men had been rescued the night before, three of them in broad daylight. As a matter of fact, this particular fellow was not bought in until 10 o'clock this morning. I suppose they must have missed him in the dark, but it is a plucky thing to go into No Mans Land and bring a fellow in broad daylight. The devils of Bosche were sniping him yesterday, one swine got into a shell hole just outside their wire in order to get a better shot, I rejoice to say, though that one of our 18 pr sniped the sniper during the afternoon and after that our man was left in peace.
We are not manning the O.P. after today, tomorrow evening the stores will be carted back to Sailly and presumably we go back to the normal routine of trench warfare. We have still to keep open the gaps of wire out through the enemy's wire, so that possibly we may take up the offensive again later, if things go well enough down below. But, for the time being, anyway, the great push as far as we are concerned, is "Na Poo Fini La Guerre"
Wednesday 12/7/16 (12 July 1916)
Wire Collecting
The colonel and Wyley have gone down to the wagon lines for a rest, leaving the Doctor and myself up here.
My job is assist in clearing the Divisional area of disused telephone wire, of which there must be quantities. We are nominally attached to the 242nd Brigade (late 3rd South Midland Bde) with whom we are going to dine. Our other meals, we shall have here and I can foresee that we are going to have quite a pleasant time.
Saturday15/7/16 (15 July 2016)
Our part in the battle may not yet be over after all. The infantry are in the process of being relieved by the 38th Division and the two Brigades in reserve have already started south. We are all hoping we shall be allowed to follow them and I don't I am exaggerating when I say that the infantry hope so too but at present it rather looks as if though we might be left. We are all heartily sick of 16 months "Goalkeeping" 12 out of the 16 between the same posts. It is much worse to be inactive when others so close to us are in the thick of it.
The Division, which is relieving us, or rather, whose infantry is relieving ours, already thinks itself fit to look at us a little disdainfully in spite of the fact that we were in action probably before they had fired their musketry course. Still, they are fresh from the Mametz district and have a pretty strenuous time, so we shall have to make allowances.
Monday 17/7/16 (17 July 1916)
The C.R.A has told us today that we are to join the Division, down south. We don't know where and we don't care very much. It is enough for the time to know that we are to do something.
Thursday 20/7/16 (20 July 1916)
Going South
We go south to-morrow. We were relieved this afternoon and are sleeping tonight at the wagon lines
Quite by chance, in the course of conversation with the orderly Officer of the Brigade relieving, us, I discovered that his adjutant was an S.Q - G P Thomas a Welshman, I went round to his H.Q. after ten & had a few words will him. It is over 7 years since I saw him last but I could almost imagine it was yesterday he has changed so little, another surprise was waiting for me when I got back, Hitchings W. H., he is in the same division as Thomas (38th).
We have to breakfast tomorrow at 4.30.am so I am for bed.
Saturday 22/7/16 (22 July 1916)
I was to sleepy yesterday to write anything in my dairy I could not have had a better day for moving, The country was looking perfect and, though it hardly seemed possible that we were really moving at last. I think there were very few regrets. I went down by motor lorry together with a few of our H.Q. and a number of “D” Battery Officers, & men. Our mobus broke down just outside Bousincourt, and we had to disembark & wait until one of the others had made the journey and could come back and fetch us.
After an hour's wait we started off again, but had the misfortune to fall in at the tail of a long motor convoy and for 30 disgusting minutes, we were breathing and swallowing the greater part of the dust which had accumulated during the last two or three months on the Albert road. At last, we got clear of the convoy and saw front of us the buildings of Albert, surmounted by the cathedral with the famous leaning statue of the virgin and child. The town itself did not appear very greatly knocked about except just round the cathedral, which had evidently been the central point of all the bombardments.
The Leaning Virgin of Albert
We left the lorry just outside the town at one of the many bridges over the Ancre and went on foot.
On the way, we met Colonel Langham of the Sussex very cheery and voluble old boy who detained us for about 20 minutes in order to tell us all the very latest news. Just here we parted company, Major Fowler and his party going off to discover his new battery position, my way lay through a wood, and in the middle of which, I discovered our H.Q. The Colonel & Wyley, who had ridden down, were, I found already on the scene, as were Colonel West and his staff. We are still working on the Group system that is to say, one Colonel in charge of two brigades for tactical purposes.
Colonel West is running our Group, although we are all going to be up here to lighten the work.
The H.Q. is in a really charming spot. The dugouts are on, both sides of a broad ride through the wood, which is sufficiently small timbered to give any amount of light & air. Looking down the ride we get a glimpse of the river, which is at present in flood, and on the side of it a building, which is probably, called a chateau. Between us and the rivers a fairly broad space of marsh, also flooded, and spanned by a wooden bridge optimistically labelled "To Bapaume Cambria, Courcelette & Berlin"
A number of telephone wires run across the marsh and there is an old rowing boat for the convenience of linesmen. In this Selby-Lownes (Col West's Orderly officer) and I lazed for an hour or so this afternoon.
I wish the war could be run like that always. It was rather strange rowing gently in between the tall trees which grow right across the marsh while time shells of all sizes were whistling, overhead on their way to the Bosche.
The Colonel of the brigade; is sleeping here tonight so I'm dossing In with the doctor Davidson, and his dog who ought to keep the rats out at any rate.
This division has a system of code names - most of them Christian names - for the various units -. A message was given to me after tea, reading "Report by wire as soon as the relief of Doris has been completed". This I handed on to Davidson, as it seemed to fall more within his department than mine
There is a very objectionable habit here it seems of keeping an officer on duty at night. I had the last shift last night & had to get up at 4.30am (Saturday) morning I believe it is popularly supposed that sunrise is a magnificent spectacle but after having seen it on two successive days, I am beginning to lose my enthusiasm.
This morning Wyley, Davidson and I paid a visit to one of our forward O.P.s in Ovillers.
A few maimed tree trunks mark the site, of the village. There is no vestige of a building left, the whole village having been literally flattened. As we went over the old German front line trenches we saw bricks, rubble here and there which looked as though they might, at one time, have been the foundations of houses, but I am not exaggerating when I say that there is not a fragment of a wall above ground level.
The whole place is honeycombed with trenches and bits of trenches and wherever there is no trench, there is shell holes the ruin and havoc is beyond description.
The German dugouts are the only things that have survived and most of them are now sheltering our own Infantry and Artillery observers. Over some of the dug-outs are placards bearing the names of it's former occupants others have simply a title, various articles of equipment, German and English but mostly German, are scattered along the trenches and in the dug-outs.
I salvaged a Bosche smoke helmet and Davidson secured a pair of white overalls for the cook. Everywhere there are bombs, some blind, some not used. These we avoid as there have been several men injured as a result of stepping on an apparently dead bomb, shells and bits of shells also lie in profusion and there are a number of huge 9.2 shells that have failed to explode.
In one trench we came across two "Petrol can throwers" of which you have probably seen descriptions of in the papers. The barrels are made from 3 or 4-inch boarding bound with galvanized wire and they throw a petrol can about 2ft long by 1ft in diameter full of explosive. We also passed one dead Bosche; he was not a pleasant sight to behold. We had a look at the country from the O.P., it was strange to see are telephonists working on the steps of a dug-out labelled "Oloffbereitschaft" on the way back, we passed the time of day with two or three Infantry officers, one of whom accused me of playing against him at Hockey. I did not remember him but he assured me it was so, his name is FIELD of the Imperial. I also met Phillen going up with his platoon.
There were parties collecting material in the open between Ovillers and La Boisselle quite un-molested by the Bosche, who must certainly have his tail between his legs. La Boisselle is distinguished in having two walls standing about 6 feet high, I am told that this is the Church! A few more maimed and scattered trees on the crest represent Pozieres, which I suppose is pit next objective.
We called at infantry Brigade H.Q. on our return Journey, where I met Andrews. He told me that Gilbert Castle had greatly distinguished himself in the last attack and is likely to be recommended for the D.S.O.
There is to be another attack tonight. The 6th Glous are going over in front of us with the Australians further on our right. The aim of the later is to take that part of Pozieres south of the Bapaume road. Our job is to try and capture one line of trench west of Pozieres. I am not on duty tonight, but there is little chance of my getting a full ration of sleep owing to the bombardment.
Sunday 23/7/16 (23 July 1916)
I was quite right about the sleep. There is an infernal battery of soixante-quinze just behind us, which fire directly over our heads.
Apparently the detachments stand easy for quarter of an hour, at the end of which they remember there is a battle on and spring to the guns for the next five minutes they fire like the devil, loosing off as only a French 75 can loose off, and then, having exhausted all the ammunition within easy reach, drop off to sleep again for another 15 minutes.
These people, together with a battery of 6o pdr's and what I imagine to be a 6inch gun, effectually prevented me from getting any sleep until after 1.30 am.
The echoes round here, by the way, are quite remarkable. The valley, the water and the trees each contributes to the production, or rather reproduction and reflection of all the many sound waves that are continually being set in motion. An 18pdr a shell travelling through the air gives a very passable imitation of the Cornish Riviera (name of a train) passing through Taunton station, while quite a small Bosche shell pretends to be from a very large gun.
This afternoon I went with Colonel West to Browne's Forward O.P. on the Ovillers - Bozieres road. After going some distance on the road to Ovillers, we struck off right handed across what used to be No Mans Land.
From here onward, we were in full view of the German present lines, but apparently, the Bosche is either too scared to look, or else too tired to shoot. Any way, apart from a few stray shells that wander up and down the valley at intervals there is nothing to hurt one.
This particular hollow is known as Mash Valley, a name which conveyed nothing to my mind until I saw that the next dip in the ground is called "Sausage Valley", probably from it's outline which might be said to resemble a Wurst.
There was quite a lot of shelling just ahead of us. The Bosche may have been counter attacking on the S.E. of Pozieres: he certainly was not on our side of the village, or he may have been merely demonstrating his dislike for us; en tout cas, I was not at all sorry when I caught sight of Brown sitting on the parapet of a sometime Bosche communication trench the barrage was much to close in front of us to be really enjoyable. Selby-Lowndes and I were left in a shell hole, to avoid having to large a party at the O.P., which like everything else, is fully exposed to German view.
We are comparatively happy there until the wind shifted around a point or so then we made haste to refill our pipes. I think for everybody's sake parties should somehow be raised to get these remnants of the first attack decently and inoffensively interred. To my mind it is horrible that a men who has fought and died gallantly, whether he be Bosche or British, and the majority of them are our own fellows should be left to become a nuisance and possibly a danger and an object of repulsion to all who cross the bit of ground that he helped to win or defend.
We came back through Ovillers. I find I was wrong in my description of the place yesterday; there are two or three fragments of wall still standing on the Eastern side of the village, but not sufficient to afford any evidence of ownership. We passed the time of day with Todd (Tidy) at his O.P. and after having prospected for other likely spots in the neighbourhood hurried home for a well earned and much overdue cup of tea.
Morgan, from Brown's Battery, has been selected for a job of work on the Corps staff; this will give me a chance of getting some battery work temporarily. Even the Colonel can hardly fail to see that, apart from my 3 hours duty at night, I am absolutely wasting my time. There are two adjutants to divide the office work; colonels West's orderly officer is naturally in charge of wires and I am left with nothing to do but look pretty.
In any case it is not the sort of job that I am suited for, and as the battery work is pretty stiff even for 5 officers, it is not right that there should be an officer out of a job.
Later, The colonel has given me permission to work with the battery by day, but will not allow me to go there altogether because "I must be up here for night duty", subject, of course to his better opinion, I should submit that 2 x Adjutants and an orderly officer, not to mention 2 x Colonels, could get through all the work at H.Q. both day and night, with out any undue strain. However, I am grateful enough for the concession. I can, at any rate, feel that I am doing a little to help on the show, even if it not a wonderfully important little.
Monday 24/7/16 (24 July 1916)
I have spent the day at the battery position getting hold of how things are done, every and certainly every battery commander, has certain things that have to be done just so, and it is best to find out at once what these things are.
We are all rather cut up this evening, Capt A. E. Stone was killed about 4o'clock while on duty at the O.P. the one we saw yesterday in Ovillers. I am awfully sorry. Old Stone was one of the very best and although he left the brigade some time ago now, when the new battery was formed, we shall miss him badly. He has a long record service, longer than anyone else out here with the brigade dating back to the old volunteer days. He has always been a very staunch upholder of our Volunteer and Territorial traditions.
A great thing in these days when the principal object of those set in authority over us seems to be to make us forget that we were ever anything else than the 240 Brigade RFA. I remember how frightfully sick he was when this new numbering was adopted. It was even worse for him than for us, because, being with a newly formed unit, he had not even the excuse that we gave for calling ourselves in defiance of all regulations 1st, 2nd or 3rd Gloucester Battery, instead of A & B or C/240. At mobilization, he was quite the keenest man for Foreign Service in the Brigade and it seems hard that he should be the first to fall. Still, I think he would have chosen to go the way he did, in a pukka show, on duty and on territory just captured from the Bosche.
Wednesday 26/7/16 (26 July 1916)
Both yesterday and today I spent the greater part of my time at the O.P., it is not a place I should select on the score of either comfort or safety.
It is situate in the narrow trench behind the late Bosche 3rd line or to be more accurate, on the trench.
The only method of observing is to sit on top of the parapet, where the Bosche can see you a great deal easier than you can see him; the parapet, moreover, is composed of lumps of chalk of various sizes, which even a wad of sandbags does not do much towards softening. Heaven forbid that it should rain, for the place would become quite untenable. As it is, however, I get along quite well, for once I start gazing at the country, I forget the several disadvantages of the position.
Our great difficulty is to decide on the exact points where our line ends and the Bosche begins. The position here, on the extreme flank of the attack is rather curious. The Flank line that we hold cuts across his (German) system at right angles, so that both parties share the same trenches.
In the sketch, I have marked the line held by us in red and by the Bosche in blue, the shaded portions being the trenches actually held and consolidated by either side. The blue dots are strong points usually trench junctions out of which we are endeavouring to bomb the enemy by clearing the communication trenches forward in the direction of the arrows hence, at any minute of the day our fellows may get to a point which, as far as the gunners know, is in German hands, and unless the infantry get a message back pretty quickly, they may possibly get some of our own shells in their backs. As a matter of fact they always tell us when they are starting out to bomb and what their objective is, but it is very difficult for us to find out how far they have succeeded Also, of course, the Bosche can counter attack in the same way with bombs and it is more likely that we shan't know until it is all over. In default of anything else we keep up an irregular fire on the Bosche communications and to make the provision of ammunition and rations as difficult as possible.
They gave me a bit of a fright this afternoon the road in front of the O.P., and I thought it would be rather a good idea to fire a couple of salvoes over the Bosche trenches to prevent anyone getting his head over the parapet and seeing our fellows, which I did. But no sooner had the two parties gone out of sight safely than some confounded Bosche seized hold of a machine gun and fired at me! He couldn't do any damage of course, unless his first round was a bull, which is not likely at that range but I don't want to have to observe in the intervals of dodging machine gun bullets. Also he may tell his gunners about us, which would be more uncomfortable still.
However, I got upon the parapet again after having allowed about half an hour to go by, and as I was not troubled again, I am beginning to hope that he was really aiming at something else in the same line as myself. If he really has discovered us then I shall have to find another O.P.
Friday 28/7/16 (28 July 1916)
As I rather feared, we had to find a new O.P. yesterday. I got up there as usual about 11.30 and found that nothing untoward had happened, and accordingly we continued to observe from the parapet.
There was a gunner from the 25th Division with me, who was prospecting for a new O.P. for himself. Suddenly there was an appalling Whizz-Plump close to us and we collapsed gracefully into the trench, we saw a little wisp of smoke rising a yard behind where we had been sitting. I am not quite sure now; how it was the shell did not pass though one of us on the way; fortunately it was not a timed shrapnel or I doubt if either of us would have been much more use to His Majesty.
We beat a rather hurried retreat down the trench, which is not only narrow, which is an advantage-but also in places, shallow which is decidedly the reverse. After we had covered about a hundred yards, we lay down in a fairly deep trench and for twenty minutes listened to the shells flying around us the O.P. There were bursting them in the air now, just too late from the Bosche point of view.
I rang the Major, who told me to select another O.P. and that he would bring up some more wire to connect up to it when he came up to relieve me.
I found quite a good place lower down where the trench became dead white (chalk) fairly close to where our wire ran. I camouflaged my tin hat by chalking it all over by utilising two of the signallers with me as orderlies managed to make it a working concern. I fired one or two registering rounds just to make sure I knew the country from my new point of view and then preceded to strafe all the Bosche trenches I could see. It was naturally rather a slow process, an every order had to be passed down the trench, partly by hand and partly by voice, but it gave me a great deal of satisfaction.
When Brown came up at six o'clock he brought with him a Captain to whom he introduced me by saying "Captain something or other who is relieving us tomorrow" I was then told that the Brigade whom we relieved 6 days ago was now to relieve us.
I am now (Friday morning) sitting outside my dugout basking in the sun. It is a perfectly beautiful day, we have had since we have been here, and as we have to sleep in the open in the wagon lines tonight, it is just as well. Still, I am very glad I have not to trudge up to the O.P. this morning; I am afraid it will get very odorous this weather.
Tomorrow we start early for Ampliers, near Doulions and the Following day we make for St Ouen, where rumour has it we rest for a week. After that, no one knows what we do or where we go. I shall take advantage of the rest to have my second inoculation. I have seen enough in this last week to make me think it may be necessary.
Saturday 29/7/16 (29 July 1916)
Here we are at Amplier, out of the sound of gunfire at last. I went on in advance of the Brigade as billeting officer. It is much pleasanter than going down with the push, as we are not compelled to travel at a slow walk, which prolongs the journey well into the heat of the day. The country here is quite pretty, but the village, following the custom in this part of the world is featureless. Wykeham the Staff Captain R.A., met me this morning and showed me the accommodation for the Brigade, which I had to split up and allot to the batteries. I secured a charming billet for myself, a little cottage with a rose garden attached, belonging to a delightful old couple.
The old gentleman, who looks rather like Mr. Pickwick, greeted me as "mon garcon", while his wife bustled round and showed me my room, quite large cool, and spotlessly clean. She assured me I could rest as much as I liked, as they had no children, no cows and no poultry, nothing to that could make a noise.
I had to go back then and meet the batteries, when they were settled in, I procured some lunch at the mess and then went back to my billet and got a bath and got in to bed. I didn't wake till nearly six, when I had a bath and a shave, after which Weill and I bicycled into Doullens for dinner.
Sunday 30/7/16 (30 July 1916)
We were away a little later this morning 7 o' clock instead of 6, the old people came down to see me off and made me promise to come and stay with them if I were ever in Amplier again either during the war or afterwards. St Ouen is a busy and dusty little place something like Taunton only smaller.
The horse lines and men's bivouacs are in a small portion of a long park which has avenues of tall trees running across the breadth of it every 40 or 50 yards. It is about 300 to 400 yards broad, bounded at the top by the River Authie and at the bottom by the railway.
The 1st battery officers are going to live in the park but the rest of us have billets in the town. Most or them are doing to occupy billets from choice, I from necessity; the extra 10 minutes in the morning being more than I can afford with an early bird like the S.O.
Wednesday 9/8/16 (9 August 1916)
I have not written in the log since we have been out, as one day has been so much like another that it would make even duller reading than before. We are on our way back too the war again now, and are spending the night in Ampliers; as billeting officer I was able to collar the same billet that I had on the way down.
We had a perfectly delightful holiday. On the first day, we received a bundle of congratulatory letters, General Fanshawe, in which he expressed the wish that we "Should enjoy the rest which we so well deserved" hence, as no one seemed to expect us to do ant work, we made no pretence of going any. The weather all the time was perfect and we filled up the afternoons and evenings (most of the morning went in stables) with competitions, rides and idleness. Two days we had the divisional band discoursing music in the gun park while another two days were absorbed by boxing contests. I had one day in Amiens with Davey he borrowed a trap from the senior Padre, McNulty and we started off from St Ouen about 9.30 am.
It was one of the best of the many glorious summer days and the drive across country was really beautiful, we spent the day eating and shopping, left at half past ten and got back to the lines shortly after 1pm.
We had to tie the nag up by his head collar, complete with blinkers, as there was no sign of a stable piquet. The old Runt, as Davy affectionately called him must have felt an awful rake the next morning when he woke up and found he had been put to bed in his blinkers!
Tomorrow the colonel has invited us (H.Q.) to dine with him in Doullens, as this will be our the last night out of the line, I could rather wish I were going in somewhat less sedate company, but I expect we shall meet a good few of the others in there.
Friday 11/8/16 (11 August 1916)
Had a great time in Doullens yesterday. I went over in the afternoon, via Beauval, where I hoped to see the dentist. They told me, over at the hospital that he was out visiting an ambulance and would not be in until after 5o'clock Accordingly, I bicycled on to Doullens, intending to get a dentist of another C.C.S. to have a shot t me. I went in to one, Number 19 C.C.S. I think it was, and the dentist man told me I ought to have my teeth done at Beauval "I have been there already" I replied "but they told me the tooth professor was visiting a field ambulance, I don't believe he really was though." "You were quite right" he replied with a grin "he wasn't - He is right here" and so he was, just behind me. Apparently he had come over to Boullens to get his own teeth doctored. He accepted my apologies amiably, and arranged to meet me about half past five at Beauval.
I then went to get some tea and purchase a hat, the latter in deference to the frequently expressed wishes of the C.O., who has a strong distaste for the "Gorblimeys". While engaged in the selection of a chapeau, I was informed that "Le roi d'Angleterre vient a Doullens a uatre neures et demi". It was then only a quarter past, so I went to get tea with two other fellows I met and just as we were sitting down, we heard someone call out "here he is". We dived for the door, and got out just in time to salute the old Gentleman, who gave us a very gracious salute in return.
This was not the last excitement of the day. I started off for Beauval about 5o'clock, and as I spun round a cross road, whom should I espy coming down the road but Corfield! Quite regardless that he is now a Major, I hailed him loudly by name and we fell on each others necks and wept, he was as cheery as ever, I promised to try and see him again after dinner.
When I got back later and found Todd's party dining in the same pub as us, I telephoned Corfield and got him to come down and join them. Then when the C.O. went back rather early, I also added myself to the party and we had a very merry evening talking over old days.
This is the last entry of the Diary, as sent to the author's mother
Sources and Resources
Derek Driscoll's original pages
The Opening Days of the Somme by Lieutenant E. L. Gedye
The Opening Days of the Somme by Lieutenant E. L. Gedye
Other Sources
The Golden Virgin (Wikipedia)