Item 06: Frank H. Molony diary, 25 March 1918-7 August 1918 - Page 145

[Page 145]

June 7, 8
189.
Mail up. Art Kinsons "Catalogue of Rare and Interesting Books in all Departments of Literature from valuable Libraries recently dispersed", but in all its 38 double columned lists, not a book to covet.

Tonight to the Farmhouse Ken mentioned as serving Eggs and Chips, but only eggs. There a French encampment about, and officers messing in the Farmhouse: a bonser little snack served up by Madame – a ruddy Flemish Madame of thick wrists, and afterwards Rhum and Coffee with the Froggies, so back to D.H.Q. and this entering of today.

Posted to Mrs. H. "The Gold Tree".

A day with a leaden haze and a stillness in the air. All the afternoon at C.R.E. taking some prints of one of the 3 Bde. 'Maps' Tracings.

June 8
190.
For a walk this evening with Ken: through Sylvestre on the road towards Caestre. All about the main road shell holes and smashed villiage houses: at the Estaminet on the corner where the turn is to Hazebruck, we had coffee – without sugar. Only a young girl, a slenderly modelled girl with tiny breasts, but with an expression of terrible things clouding her white face. She told us they were refugees from Mont des Cats and that they were not going further back till Monday or Tuesday. Mont des Cats is a ruin she told us, and the monastry one big heap of torn timber and stone.

And she still had smiles for us, and asked if the coffee was good.

191.
Each morning from Corps and Army summaries it is my work to add to an "Enemy Dump Map" notes of the Boche's new light rails, dumps and Road Screens. It is greatly to be hoped that the prisoners the Boche takes do not give the same amount of information the Boche prisoners we capture do, and from the times I have seen and listened to these interrogating of prisoners, it seems to me that they give their information so readily, being treated as men and not bullied as animals. Comes the memory