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[Page 58]
3/5/16
Erquinghem & Armentieres
Reveille at 3am and had a cup of tea. Moved off in alarm order at 4am. Everyone wearing steel shrapnel proof helmets covered with sandbag to neutralise color. Round unsightly things the sandbag adds to the odd appearance. Mine must have looked extra funny as I had many queries as to how my banana plantation was looking! Very heavy upon the head until one gets used to them but the protection to the head from the shrapnel bullets is very great.
Drew tools from factory and steering by the map made for a set of trenches two miles in rear of firing line. Sat down there at 5am and had breakfast. Delightful old age warn farmhouse dated 1634, its gable surmounted by a weather vane shaped like an angel. Partly destroyed by shellfire, indeed all places hereabouts like Armentieres are partially gutted.
Got to work at 6am digging and improving trenches. Luxuriant green grass everywhere and feet soon get wet walking through it. Buttercups and other wildflowers spangle the grass thickly. The hedges (now in full leaf) are breaking into may and hawthorn blossom and scenting the air with their delicate perfume. The trees have put on great coating of leaves but many are still bare – every fruit tree is a miracle of beauty with the most delicate of blossom & cherry almond & others.
Went with my Sergeant Major (Yeadon) up to my night alarm positions (about 1 ½ mile behind firing line) and find the trenches full of water and canvas screens out. Sent the platoon commanders over the ground to facilitate any night advance. Men in alarm order carry pack with great coat rations 2 sandbags extra ammunition bombs & steel helmet. Content of packs stored in sandbags left under guard in billet.
Emergency roads run across meadows and along the country lanes delightful little scenes are seen. The railway skirting Armenteires looks deserted and runs direct through the German lines. Fringing the town are trenches. The city factories were sending [indecipherable] columns of smoke but drew no shells probably because theirs are the same as [indecipherable] & retaliation would ensue.
Heavy shells passing over all the morning. Down tools at 11.45 and left for home at 12. All new earth was disguised by scattering cut grass over it.
The fields are intensely cultivated and ground carefully rolled & scarified to fences but the pruned willows cut right back to their thick stumpy bole and running along every ditch probably mark the boundaries. Saw a long 4.7 gun with caterpillar wheels in a shed. Reached home very tired.
What a lovely green beautiful land this is and what a fool thing the war seems. After lunch went to bed and slept until 5pm. The enemy putting some very heavy stuff into the surroundings of Erquinghem. In the morning we leave again on the same job and hope to get more work done. A good many men have diarrhoea very badly and some also have bad boots.