Item 03: Walter V. Wright diary, 7 September 1916-23 March 1917 - Page 183

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[Page 183]

Dear Lill

Just been reading this through some parts of it are rather dopey but you dont want to take any notice of em

I will start another but I hope this war will peter out before its through

Hope you get this
Your affectionate
Walter

[Transcriber's notes:

Arras page 120 – is about 20 miles north of Albert
Basentin page 132, is Bazentin about 4 kms ENE of Becourt.
Becourt page 129, is a small village about 2kms east of Albert and about 10 kms west of Longueval.
Bernafay wood page 82 – is a pear shaped wood just east (about 1000 metres) of the village of Montauban-de-Picardie which is about 10kms east of Albert
Chats page 97 – another word for lice
Claude Wilkins page 125 might be Herbert Claude Wilkins army number 2428.
Combles page 14 - Combles is a large village 16.5 kilometres east of Albert and 13 kilometres south of Bapaume. Combles village was entered in the early morning of the 26th September, 1916, by units of the 56th (London) Division and the French Army; and it remained in Allied occupation until the 24th March, 1918, when the place was captured after a subborn stand by the South African Brigade at Marrieres Wood. It was retaken on the 29th August, 1918, by the 18th Division.
Con Cam is short for Convalescent Camp
Delville Wood page 116 –Delville Wood is located about 500 metres north east of the town of Longueval in the Somme. The Battle of Delville Wood was one of the early engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme.
Egg bomb page 91 – this was a small German hand grenade capable of being thrown up to 50 yards.
Etaples was a major hospital in the French town of Etaples on the coats about 50kms south of Calais.
Flers page 89 – this is a small village about 15 kms NE of Albert. It is not the town about 180 Kms west of Paris.
HE page 95 stands for High Explosive bombs
I.W.W page 62 – Industrial Workers of the World, also known as the Wobblies.
Limber page 119 – A limber is a two-wheeled cart designed to support the trail of an artillery piece, allowing it to be towed.
Minenwerfer ("mine launcher") page 16, is the German name for a class of short range mortars used extensively during the First World War by the German Army
Peronne page 81 – is on the Somme River about 40 kms east of Amiens
Popperinge page 12 is Poperinge, about 10kms west of Ypres (or Iepers) in Belgium.
Posieres page 136, is Pozieres, about 1.5kms NW of Bazentin.
Smuts page 39 is General Smuts, later to become Prime Minister of South Africa. "German West" is German West Africa which became South West Africa and then Namibia.
Taubes page 91 – these are German planes with wings that when viewed from below, are shaped like birds' wings
Thiepval Page 14 – The Battle of Thiepval Ridge was the first large offensive mounted by the British Reserve Army during the Battle of the Somme
Verdun page 81 – is about 200kms SE of Peronne and about 60kms east of Reims
Watten page 25, is in France about 60 kms west of Ypres (Ieper) and about 10 kms north of St Omer.
Wipers page 26, is how the soldiers pronounced Ypres or Iepers as it is written by the Belgians.
Warloy page 130 is Warloy-Baillon 10 kms west of Albert.

[Transcribed by Miles Harvey and Lynne Frizell for the State Library of New South Wales]

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