Item 04: Herbert Henry Harris diary, 1 August 1917-31 May 1918 - Page 24

[Page 24]

Sunday 2nd Sept 1917.
Raining like hell, church Parade, all sorts of rumours about where we are going to.
Plenty of drinks about Riot up at B Coys Estaminet Principally A Coy. men 2 of them in clink over it smashed windows & bottles etc. fine cold night Taubes up.
deferred. £31.1.0

Monday 3 Sept 1917
Fritz got busy last night dropping Bombs & firing 15" shells all over the place. Got out of the shed into the open. dropped 14 Bombs on Hazebrouk & blew up the gas works. 7 bombs on Reneskue & some on St Omer. one 15" shell fell about 400 yds from this place also 2 others went & saw the hole this morning fully 20 ft deep & about 30 ft round. must be firing them from 20 to 25 miles away. Knocked off about 1.30 a.m. Brave men these huns frightened to come over in the day time prefer to murder women & children at night time the scum.
deferred pay. £31.2.6. Been a beautiful day. & looks like another clear night so can expect fritz again, found an aireil Torpedo dud this morning but still think the holes were made by gun fire. 54th D. Coy had narrow escape Torpedo fell 4 feet outside their Billet blowing off the roof one man had his head cut open. Concert tonight.

Tuesday 4/9/17
a beautiful morning like yesterday Concert finished quickly last night Fritz over again Bombing St Omer Melville, Renesque, Hazebrouck etc. left us alone. did not stay up too long too sleepy & tired, he kept at it all night The moon is only just going down 9.30 a.m. deferred pay. £31.4.0. Sports this afternoon. Sports went off splendid, General Hobbs & staff etc were there & he told us we should soon be in the thick of it suppose Fritz will be over again tonight