Item 01: James William Dains diary, 21 November 1916-4 June 1917 - Page 37

[Page 37]

Demonstration in the Cinema (26th Jan. Australia Day). Capts. McCook & Mills gave addresses. I read & prayed, Cutriss gave out the Hymns.
Mills came back with us to tea.

Saturday 27th
I went to A & B Billets & arranged for Church parade tomorrow at 2 oclock. The weather continues very cold, the coldest snap residents say for many years. Today's Times says that in Paris people are dying with the cold & I can well believe it if they are at all exposed. All the ponds are frozen over & our men are having some skating. The ice is quite 6 inches thick & snow has been lying on the ground for nearly a fortnight & is powdered like sand & the ground frozen hard. At the Cemetry today they had to use picks & chisels to a depth of over 1 foot in order to dig the graves, the ground here is usually saturated with water & can easily be dug with a spade. There were 17 degrees of frost, the Thermometer registered 10 degrees Farenheit & 7 to 8° below zero Centigrade.