Item 06: Frank H. Molony diary, 25 March 1918-7 August 1918 - Page 185
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[Page 185]
June 30
236.
Over to the attic where Scott is to see his sketch of "the Dingbats Retreat": a good little sketch, far more pleasing than his others. For a while yarning of Rodin and de Chavannes and the Amiens gallery.
Then on to Borre: dinner there with Toby and Nick.
The old Dressing room a forest of heavy wooden stanchions under the old wooden beams, and new steel girders: the floor above being buried four feet under old cobbles and bricks – brought down from Strazeele.
A sub on night duty again, changing yesterday.
At midday a sudden opening out of our guns: early this morning a small (12) party of the Boche attacked one of our strong posts: for a while he held a footing in one end of the short trench, but was eventually driven out: again he attacked – 40 or 50 strong: again failure, and again failure with his third attempt, at Borre the guns awakening told of another attack, but it seemed hardly likely that after showing such unexpected enterprise as he had shewn, he would rashly attempt a daylight stunt, it was a destructive shoot on Outtersteene.
The 3rd Batt. shew genius. Report tells of their shewing on one of their Billet doors a cartoon of General Birdwood reading through Intelligence Files, the calendar shews the year 1926. Turning the summaries, suddenly he comes to one of the 1st Division ..
"Great scott! I've forgotten the First Relief!"
Today General Walker from the 1st, and General Birdwood from the Corps.
237.
Ends June, and a day of burning sun and sun hazes, out by the pool in the lovely quiet of the evening a demonstrating just ended, of all the Boche night planes, lovely bulbs dazzling flowers, falling before a great rippling [indecipherable] of gleaming sparks and colour.