1st Friday
Brévillers.
Smoke Helmet Drill, with box helmet.
The Unit play 5 N Staffs Lucheux in semi-final of cup. Robbed. Result Staffs 2 Unit 1.
5th Tuesday
Left Brévillers by car with 10 of B Sect, for Bienvillers, and take over Dressing Station, plenty of runs on Ambulance to Gaudiempre.
6th Wednesday
Bienvillers.
Gas shells poured into village. Many journeys with gassed patients, some of which died.
8th Friday
Left Bienvillers with Car of wounded, and had a breakdown on road to Souastre, and could not move for 5 hours. The Car was towed to St Amand at 8.30pm.
9th Saturday
Left St Amand on Ambulance as Orderly for Foncquevillers, continual journeys with sick and wounded to Couin.
A Sect work Foncquevillers.
10th Sunday
Foncquevillers shelled continually, many journeys with sick.
11th Monday
Foncquevillers. Continual journeys with sick to Couin and wounded to Gaudiempre.
14th Thursday
Left Foncquevillers at night, returned by another car. We returned to Head Quarters at St Amand for 6 days.
18th Monday
Left St Amand for Souastre, to work Foncquevillers line, journeys at night.
22nd Friday
Left Souastre for Foncquevillers. Major Lloyd-Jones wounded at Foncquevillers, and died as soon as we reached 20 Cas Cle Sta (Casualty Clearing Station) S.W. back.
25th Monday
Left Souastre at 11am o’clock for St Amand and had a fine day. Lovely Xmas dinner and tea, and kept the night up well.
31 Sunday
St Amand. Fetched out of bed at 3am New Year’s morn to collect wounded at Bienvillers, as Germans had shelled the billets.
Jan1917
1st Monday
Left St Amand for Bienvillers to joint part of B Sect who are attached to C, working the line, and A Sect at Foncquevillers. I was billeted in cellar on Souastre Road.
2nd Tuesday
Bienvillers.
A party of us started on sandbagging round Dressing Station. The inner part being Elephant steel tubing, and quite a safe place against shell fire.
3rd Wednesday
I in a squad of 4, left Bienvillers in the afternoon for Shell Street Trench. Our dug-out was steel and situated in support line near medical aid post, a distance of 200 yards to fire trench.
4th Thursday
We were called out of bed at 2.30am o’clock to take 2 wounded cases to Bienvillers, the same occurred whilst out on patrol at .... (damaged page)
took us 2 1/2 hours .... stretcher case down.
8th Monday
Relieved by another squad at night, and we returned to Bienvillers for 3 days.
10th Wednesday
Germans shell our village at night, which is quite a daily occurrence.
At night Germans shell our Batteries, we had to collect under heavy fire.
12th Friday
Left Bienvillers for Support trenches.
Bitter cold weather prevails.
22nd Monday
Left Barrier Dugout and returned to Souastre Road, Bienvillers, for 3 days rest.
27th Saturday
Left Bienvillers for Cross Street Aid post, in Support lines.
Feb 1917
1st Thursday
Left Cross Street Dug-out for Bienvillers.
2nd Friday
Left Bienvillers with C Sect for Gaudiempre, who relieve 2nd Fld. Amb.
A & C run Hospital and 36 men of B run the line.
4th Sunday
I was sent to 137 Inf Bgde Depot St Amand, as Medical orderly, and billeted in hut’s Aid Post.
5th Monday
I took charge of Sick Parade at 8am, which numbered about 30.
6th Tuesday
Same routine. Bitter frost prevails, ice hanging from exterior of huts.
16th Friday
Still Medical Orderly for 137 Bgde School St Amand. MOs out of New London Division take sick parades.
20th -22nd Tuesday
Sick and temperature of 100.2, but still carrying on.
23rd Friday
I was taken into Gaudiempre Hospital, temp 103.8.
27th Tuesday
Gaudiempre.
Discharged from hospital for Light Duty on Car as Orderly.
Greetings card from Ethel to Frank (undated)
March 1917
1st Thursday
I left Gaudiempre and joined my Sect at Berles-au-Bois and immediately sent to Dugout at Farnborough Road Trench. Germans evacuate Gommecourt Wood and village just on right of this front.
2nd Friday
Farnborough Road Dugout. Plenty of shelling takes place on both sides. Visit to Berles during afternoon, and on Gas guard at dug-out from 10pm ‘til 3am.
3rd Saturday
Dug-out.
Went to Berles during afternoon, and at that time heavily bombarded and killed 2, wounding several.
4th Sunday
Farnborough Road Dug-out.
Went to Berles-au-Bois during afternoon, and there witnessed air duel with 5 German planes against 1 of our scout planes. The former planes opened out with all their Maxim guns, and shot off the tail of our plane, and riddled the air men with bullets, the plane crashing to the ground. A squad of 4 of us was sent out to bring in the 2 corpses, and we had to go 2 miles to get at same which was just on our line. The Germans shelled heavy and trained Maxim gun on area where plane had dropped. After 4 hours we returned with corpses, and also left Farnborough Road Dug-out and came back to Berles-au-Bois.
5th Monday
Berles.
At night Germans pour hundreds of gas shells into this village just as we got to bed. Alarm was given and all gas helmets immediately worn and all men up.
Civilians gassed, cows killed with gas, and good number of casualties. None of our men could sleep in same dug-out as it was full of gas. I got to bed at 12pm in cave.
12th Monday
Hospital Orderly Duty.
At night 137 Bgde attack in front of Gommecourt and get in German lines but had to retire later.
14th Wednesday
200 stretcher cases all wounded came into our place and about 300 Sitting went direct to Cas. Cle. Sta. (Casualty Clearing Station)
15th Thursday
Hospital Duty.
Germans start a retirement. British and French still advance.
22nd Thursday
The Unit marched away from Gaudiempre at 2pm o’clock and arrived at Bus (Bus-lès-Artois) 9 miles away. Billeted in huts.
23rd Friday
Bus.
Spent the day overhauling medical and surgical panniers.
24th Saturday
The Unit march away from Bus at 2.30pm and arrive at Contay, a distance of 10 miles. Billeted in School.
25th Sunday
We marched away from Contay at 2pm o’clock and arrived at Villers-Bocage.
26th Monday
Left Villers-Bocage and motored to Saveuse passing through Amiens.
28th Wednesday
Saveuse.
29th Thursday
Entrained at Bacouel and detrained at Berguette. 12 hours journey
31st Saturday
Ecquedecques.
Smoke helmet inspector.
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