A friend of Frank’s over many years, the Rev Arthur Pratt padre
to the South Staffordshire Regiment looses his life .
Frank first met him when he attended St Giles Church at
Willenhall before the war, when the Rev Pratt was then Vicar .
to the South Staffordshire Regiment looses his life .
Frank first met him when he attended St Giles Church at
Willenhall before the war, when the Rev Pratt was then Vicar .
Roll Of Honor.
July 1917
July
1st Sunday
Heavy bombardment still prevails. Wet weather has continued practically all the week.
3rd Tuesday
Division relieved after 3 months fighting on Lens front, in which time they inflicted many casualties on the Hun, and gained ground, themselves having a good number of casualties. The rest of my Unit come out of Lens and return.
4th Wednesday
Night Duty.
German Planes over at Midnight, and bomb Béthune.
7th Saturday
German Planes again over.
16th Monday
Night orderly at Rest Station Labeuvriere.
18th Wednesday.
Lt Col Hodder returns to Unit after 2 months in England, owing to head wounds sustained in Lievin.
19th Thursday
Same routine, hospital duty.
Fine concert at night in Hospital Rec. Hall for personnel only of Fld Amb.
Col Hodder presided. Col Wrath was also in attendance. It was a great success.
20th Friday
My Hospital Duties finish at Hospital Station Labeuvriere, as most of B Sect leave for line tomorrow.
21st Saturday
Vermelles.
B Sect leave Labeuvriere in Ambulance waggons for the line, Main Dressing Station at Philosophe. I along with squad of four went on to Half Way House Relay Post, which is a good dugout, Hulluch no 3, near Vermelles.
22nd Sunday
Bombing raid at night. We were out collecting until 6am of the 23rd, Lincoln & Leicesters Bgde the only ones in the line out of 46 Div.
23rd Monday
Stretcher bearing at night. Heavy bombardments continue.
25th Wednesday
My squad is relieved during morning, and return to Main Dressing Station for 4 days at Philosophe.
26th Thursday
Night Clerks Duty in Dressing Station.
29th Sunday
Advanced Dress Sta. Philosophe. Night Clerk. The village heavily shelled, several drop within a few yds of Sta.
30th Monday
Night Clerk along with Canadian RAMC.
August 1917
1st Wednesday
Night Clerk duty.
Cold and wet weather prevails.
4th Saturday.
Heavy bombardment prevails.
5th Sunday
Village bombarded at night, many killed and wounded.
6th Monday
Heavy shelling continues on both sides.
7th Tuesday
Night Clerk.
Philosophe shelled heavily.
10th Friday
Night clerk. Gas shells sent into village. Horns blowing, we had to wear Gas Helmets for 1 hour. After that time it cleared off. Fires were lit in Dressing Station and cellars to clear out the Gas.
13th Monday
Labourse.
15th Wednesday
Left Noeux-les-Mines for Leave.
Spent night at Boulogne.
16th Thursday
Sailed at 8.30am.
Arrived Willenhall at 8pm.
Leave dated from 16.8.17 to 16.9.17
September 1917
Left Willenhall on Friday night September 14th, at 10.55pm, arrived Euston at 3.30am of the 15th. Conveyed by Motor to Victoria Sta., left the latter at 6.30am for Folkestone, disentrained at Shorncliffe. Marched to R. Billets, and embarked at 1.30pm, landing at Boulogne at 3.45pm. Marched to St Martins Rest Camp 3 miles out. Reveille 12 midnight, breakfast 12.30. March to Station at 2.30am Sunday morning 16/9/17. Entrained, arriving at Béthune at 12 midday. Had dinner, and rejoined Unit 6 miles away at Labourse.
17th Monday
Labourse.
Working on transport lines and went up to trenches at night.
18th Tuesday
Labourse.
Sand bagging for reserve Dressing Dug Out Station.
19th Wednesday
Labourse.
Working on Dug-out.
23rd Sunday
Labourse.
Dining Hall Attendant.
24th Monday
Dining Hall, and at night a party went to Philosophe along with party of 32 men by Ambulance Waggons. From that place we marched to front line trenches along with Batt of Infantry, who were carrying in Gas cylinders.
28th Friday
Left Labourse by Horse Ambulance for Philosophe, and motored by Ambulance to Fort Glatz Loos, which place owing to excessive shelling by the Germans and us at different times has been blown to bits, simply piles of bricks and rubbish, not a house left standing. This place has been reduced to the ground practically worse than any other.
From the above Fort, we a part of 4 men and a Sergeant marched to Solent post, which is a fine deep dugout, situated at the far side of Loos.
29th Saturday
Great aerial activity takes place here. I witnessed many duels in the air. Taking wounded from here to Fort Glatz, which is the Advanced Dressing Station.
30th Sunday
Gas Picket to be done each night between us. Heavy shelling in this area.
October 1917
2nd Tuesday
Stationed at Solent Post. Heavy artillery duels.
4th Thursday
Returned to Fort Glatz after dinner, and went on Night Duty in Dressing Station.
5th Friday
Fritz shells the village of Loos, 14 stretcher cases wounded from the line during the night.
8th Monday
A busy night, a fair number of wounded.
10th Wednesday
Left Fort Glatz at 3pm along with a squad of 4, and went to Natal Post, which is situated on the top of Hill 70, and which a few weeks previous was held by the Germans, but was captured by Canadian Div. This Dug-out is about 4-6 ft high, 4 ft wide and 7 ft long. The trenches here, thigh deep in mud and water.
11th Thursday
Artillery activity.
Rain.
14th Sunday
Digging large sump hole in trench to drain same, which is 2 ft deep in mud and water.
16th Tuesday
Left Hill 70, and returned to Fort Glatz, from there we proceeded to Philosophe by Motor Amb, there to Labourse by horse Amb.
17th Wednesday
Washed the mud off my clothing during the morning, and worked the afternoon on transport lines.
18th Thursday
Labourse.
Worked the Transport lines.
21st Sunday
Left Labourse at 1pm Horse Amb, which took us to Philosophe, and from there we marched to Fort Glatz Loos, in the course of which we watched a duel in the air by one of Fritz’s latest machines, and a one seater of ours, the latter bringing the Bosch to the ground smashing the plane entirely and killing Pilot and Observer, the corpses being taken to our Station at Philosophe. From there we went to Solent Post, near Slag Heap.
22nd Monday
Solent Post.
We had two stretcher cases during the night to take to Fort Glatz.
23rd Tuesday
Fritz shells a Ration party of the 7th S. Staffs near out post by the slag heap. We immediately turned out, dressed the wounds and took the cases later to Fort Glatz. It was a pitch dark night and we had to cross many trenches, we got down to sleep at 7am on the 24th. At 3pm we left Solent Post for Natal Post on Hill 70. We turned out at night to fetch in 6 wounded which we had to take to Tunnel Post.
24th Wednesday
Natal Post.
27th Saturday
Left Natal Post at 4pm and walked to Fort Glatz, continuing to Philosophe, leaving that place by Horse Amb, for HQ at Labourse.
November 1917.
2nd Friday
Left Labourse for Solent Post by Amb Waggons and far as Philosophe, from there we marched the rest of the way.
5th Monday
Left Solent for Natal Post, Hill 70 during the afternoon.
6th Tuesday
Busy day.
7th Wednesday
Left Natal Post for Labourse.
8th Thursday - 9th Friday
Labourse.
10th Saturday
Left Labourse for Chalk pit.
12th Monday
Left Labourse by column of Route for Fouquières, Corps Rest Station, arriving at the former place at midday. This hospital at present has accommodation for many hundred patients. My Unit stayed at this place in October 1915, when the Div made the Charge.
13th Tuesday
Orderly Duty in Medical Ward.
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