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[Page 9]
1st January 1917/ whose name I don't know yet. Billets are "up to putty" merely a small barn for us to sleep and very cramped. Went to sleep very tired.
2nd January 1917. Woke up in our new home. Reveille 6 oclock went down to horses & [indecipherable]. The village we are in is called Strazelle, 5 ½ miles from Bailleul and about a mile from the Belgian frontier. We are right in northern Flanders and can hear the bombardment at Armentieres & Ypres. The front about where we are forms a huge horseshoe. All the other battalions of our brigade are quartered near us. The Germans were in the village of Strazelle for 8 days at the beginning of the war but were
2nd January 1917 driven out by the British. Fooled about with the horses harness all the afternoon. After last parade had some tea & went up to the village. There are lots of hotels or "estaminet" as they call them here. Had a feed & drinks in the shape of white wine & stout mixed. Came back with trench money of all descriptions. Got to bed tired.
3rd January 1917. Early morning stables exercising horses in morning. Moved down to the wagon lines from the farm to sleep this afternoon. Telephone from DA & Ode HQs connected to our battery which means a guard on from our staff day & night. Captain Campbell lectured the battery this afternoon & put in a lot of B.S.s which is sickening to extreme. Went to the village & had a feed & drinks at the sundry estaminets.