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[Page 56]
Rue Dormoire near Erquinghem - Lys
1/5/16
Reached billets here at 2.15pm and turned in. This place is about a mile south of our original destination Jesus Farm. The house is a large brick one, being comfortable and old (1659 is the date above the door) and our whole battalion is quartered here in wooden huts. The officers huts are in an orchard full of blossom and birds "and the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough – in England now", it was April that Browning was thinking of too.
Got up at 9 and had a short order reading parade. Shells seemed to be going about in the vicinity and a good aerial bombardment took place. After lunch we fell in for drill 700 in a small paddock only 8 miles from the enemy artillery as they sent up an observation balloon we ceased drill.
This has been a fine old farm and boasts some lovely trees in its courtyard. The country seems to grow lovely every day and we dined in the open air under low laden fruit blossom boughs. A languid spring feeling is in the air.
In Le Matin today we read of the fall of Kut surely the final disgrace to British arms. Had they sent us Australians there instead of to Sinai desert we surely would have forced their hands in the open fighting and prevented such an awful mess up. Our French interpreter a very decent chap and puts up with as much bad French as you can fire at him.
Sanitation is shockingly neglected by the French. The household latrines are septic arrangement and consist of a deep well which is never cleaned out and in which the matter decomposes, The household pump is upon another well driven in close alongside. The slops all drain into the manure heap in the centre of the yard and lie there in scumming putrescence.
In the morning we proceed to the baths for a wash and in the afternoon will probably get fatigue parties to hold off to work all night. Am looking forward to a sleep tonight having not had a proper rest for days now. We have our meals out in the open in the orchard among the fruit blossom. The old trees are close together and fine old elms encircle the place. The house itself is of the usual quadrilateral shape and is encircled by a moat on three sides. It looks very pretty and quite as old as it 280 years, embowered in the green and pink of tree foliage and bloom. Crowds of birds all round sing all day. The fields ploughed and sown come right up to the building.
We are about half an hour from Erquinghem. Other snug farms surround us. In this place is a sort of canteen where eggs biscuits fruit &c are for sale and beer can also be obtained but is said to be a watery nature and not strong enough for the Australian seasoned palate. Very tired for want of sleep so turned in early and knew no more until break of day.