Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 49]
The instructions for the advance guard were to be ready to move off at half past twelve to march to the new positions & have a look round so as to be able to guide our platoons from the railway yards at Ypres that night. The advance guard moved off at the prescribed hour but throughout the whole distance things were taken very easy for we had ten miles to march to reserves, the position the battalion was to take over, passing through Ypres enroute. On arriving at our destination about 4.30PM we found to our surprise that our new home was rather elaborate for it consisted of long tunnel dug outs fitted throughout with electric lights, in the northern bank of the Yser Canal. The whole place was extremely pretty seeming to be too good to be used for purposes of war. The canal is of the old European type being bricked along both sides and locked at intervals by flood gates of immense strength. At this particular spot there was a big locke, a huge brick structure with its big iron gates which at this time was still intact for it had only been hit by one or two shells. That night I had to go back along the Ypres Road to Woodcote farm to meet my platoon who was waiting there. When the platoon had had a spell we started to move forward part of our way being through the remains of the King of Belgium's summer palace & residence which had been considerably knocked about. At hat time the grounds were used to conceal several batteries of our light field artillery. On reaching the reserve position the 7th battalion who were occupying it were relieved & our boys were allowed to settle down for the night having wire bunks to sleep in. next morning I was sent in charge of a mining shift of eight men who were to work six hours on duty & twelve hours off as there were two other shifts as well as mine. The duties on the mining shift were to carry sand bags full of earth from the top of the mine shafts & tipping the earth into shell holes in the vicinity of the mines this job lasting for
[The image contains a hand drawn sketch map titled "Rough sketch Sector called "The Bluff" south of Yres]