Item 04: Walter Bruce Rainsford diary, 3 January 1917-31 December 1917 - Page 54

[Page 54]

the old Cathedral. In the evening had to take a patient from Ebbinghem to an Officers' Rest Home at La Motte 15 kiloms. away in the opposite direction to St Omer. We went through Hazebrouck, which the taubes came over every night now, and saw a few shattered houses, and windows covered with sandbags. La Motté is only 5 kiloms the other side of Hazebrouck and the Rest Station is a fine French Château situated in beautiful grounds with a great, green park covering several acres. The place is run by Aust. & New Zealand A.M.C. personnel of 2nd Anzac Corps. We returned to 14th Field Amb. by the way we came. Through Nieppe Forest along the road bordered by tall poplars into Hazebrouck where the people were sitting outside their houses, gazing up into the sky, waiting for the taubes to appear and the anti-aircraft guns to open fire (which they did an hour later). On the road the other side of Hazebrouck we passed numbers of people leaving the town and tramping out into the country carrying their belongings with them and pulling handcarts. The taubes came over for the fourth night in succession – over Hazebrouck & Aires. We are getting quite accustomed to turning in while the shrapnel plays a merry tune.