Item 04: John Duncan McRae diary, 6 May-18 September 1917 - Page 89

[Page 89]

kept us company. After reaching St. Omer at 8.30 we walked to Arques, to find that the Battn.. had moved away. Back to the Provost at St. Omer we came & he put us up in the Barracks for the night & breakfast. At 8.30 we

Aug. 2. At 8.30 we returned to the train & went 11 kilos to Lumbres & thence a four hours walk across country to the small village of Journy, where our Company was billeted. Here we were paid and went off immediately in search of fried eggs. We soon found a lady who was willing to supply our need to the extent of three eggs apiece. She also had a nice wee daughter.

The district here is much more hilly, and the weather much wetter than the Somme. In fact, parts of the valleys remind me of the Kangaroo Valley in N.S.W. The village is well removed from military incursions & is beautifully quiet & undisturbed. The people likewise are much more straightforward towards us than are