Item 04: Walter Bruce Rainsford diary, 3 January 1917-31 December 1917 - Page 58

[Page 58]

crops will be greatly diminished on account of the bad weather.

Mond. 3rd Sept. 1917:-

Went into St Omer yesterday afternoon by motor ambulance. The town was crowded with Troops, for the most part Australians of the 2nd, 3rd & 5th Divisions. It seemed as if half the male population of Australia was there. All the Divisions of 1st & 2nd Anzac Corps are now out of the line. During the afternoon went for a walk through the Gardens thronged with troops on leave for the day, patients in blue suits from nearby military hospitals, a few Army Nurses (Australian & English), brown uniformed girls of the Women's Aux. Army Corps, and French civilians in small numbers. We then made a tour of inspection over the Museum and after effecting several necessary purchases went for a long walk down the rue de Dunkerque, crossed the canal which links up St Omer with Calais and the North Sea, passed the fine Railway Station & the ruins of the old St Bortin Church, and returned to the centre of the town by the rue Carnot. The town of St Omer