| The CRYPT Mag |
The Somme, A battlefield well known to mankind today. But what was life like on this field of death? Below is an extract taken from a soldiers diary, describing life on the Somme in 1916.
It is Saturday Dec 4th 1915. Marching to trenches 4.10, dusk, shells bursting, someone says, boys it is Saturday night. Men coming out of trenches up to their thighs in mud.*nbsp; Reached trenches 5.30 bullets & shrapnel bursting over our heads, slept in Dug Out, lying with legs over one another & hundreds of rats as big as rabbits crawling all over us, biting holes in Haversacks for our rations. Sunday morning 8.30am men expose themselves & shell bursts within two yards of us boys, hitting man in the stomach. We are served out with Gum boots, which reach to our thighs & fasten to belt round our waist.
March through communication trenches, up to our thighs in mud & water, often times above our thighs, water running into gum boots, takes 2 hours to reach firing line, only 500 yards distance, enemy firing over us all the time. Firing line worse than anything imaginable standing in waist in mud & all dug-out fallen in, two men killed in one dugout. I am appointed Q.M.Sgt in the trenches, our Q.M.Sgt Left at Bray. Heavy Shrapnel firing and enemies snipers continuously popping at us, but without success.
Monday December 6th trenches worse than ever, had no food up for N.C.O? for 48 hrs, very hungry, company came in on Sunday night 11pm. Marched over the top, machine gun on them part of the way. Six days in Carnoy Trenches, fearful experience, line regiments who we relieved say, the worst they have ever known for new regiment to experience for the first time.
Relieved at midnight. March over the top, to Carnoy, men terribly exhausted can only reach Bronfay Farm. S.M. Malin & myself carry on to Chipilly arriving 8am. Three days rest then back again to Bompay Wood, 5 days in the trenches. I am stationed at Bray & take Rations up to firing line every night. C.S.M. Kitchen & Pte Hackett get killed. We take rations up at 6.30pm do not arrive at Bray till 4am next morning. Battalion leave trenches for Froissy by canal stay 6 days including Christmas day I have a mild attack of dysentry.
The Battalion suffer very bad from dysentry. Monday the 27th December the Batt go back to trenches, Carnoy. I stay at Bray & take rations up every night. transport to Carnoy, ration party up communication trench to firing line, back again to Bray arriving about 3am. Never leave Bronfay farm till after dark.
31st December, company on reserve at Billon Wood, last day of 1915, 12pm midnight very heavy bombardment by our artillery the boys singing the Old Year out, just like Tommy Atkins "will have his little joke".
Fritz had a fine reception for the New Year & a good many strange faces appeared in ______. Batt leave Billion Wood for trenches Q.M.S. & Storeman go to Bray. Take rations up every night to Carnoy leaving Bronfay Farm at dark. Have one night off to go to Whizz Bangs concert at Bray very good. The roads very bad from Bronfay to Carnoy, cannot pass Bronfay Farm till quite dark then 500 yards between each limber, holes in the road from 2 to 4 feet deep, limbers often get stuck & road shelled occasionally, go up trench with ration party at Carnoy hand over rations to C.S.M. Malin & report safe arrival to Captain.
Return alone down trench to Carnoy & then by road to Bray arriving sometimes as late as 3am in the morning. Company leave trenches on Saturday Jan 8th 1916, leave Bray on Sunday Jan 9th 4pm for rest, arrive 8pm Sunday Jan 9th Vaux. Three kilos from Corbie, inspected by General Kavanagh on Wednesday 19th January 1916, same date found Post Card with gift of tobacco from E Hyam, Red Horse, Alcester.
A Company isolated with fever, one & two Platoons. Left Vaux 10th March. Arrived Villers Vocage same day stayed one night, left Villers Vocage 11th March for Doullens, arrived same day, stayed one night, left Doullens 12 March for Grande Rullecourt. Stay at Rullecourt one day, leave Rullecourt for Agnez - les Duisans, stay one night. Leave Agnez - les Duisans, for Arras, arrive Arras 2am Thursday 16th March1916. Visit Hotel De Ville at 2am, take souvenir from motor car outside, 144 Smith is killed.
17th March 1916, I rode motor with blankets all the way from Vaux till we arrived at Arras. Occupied trenches 6 days 2nd line, 6 days 1st line. I was billeted with C.G.M.S. & Storeman, taking rations up every night, leaving St Nicholas at 10pm arriving back 1, 2, & 3am. I just missed trench mortar. Taking 4 days rations to Captain Dug-out from C.S.Mjr Dug-out.
Monday 26th March I go into Hospital at Arras, bad attack of influenza, am taken same day to Habarcq 12 Kilos from Arras. Batn came into Habarcq same night.
Sunday April 2nd came out of Hospital. Left Habarcq for Arras on Monday April 3rd company sapping 9 days, go in first line trench on the 12th April. Occupy the first line for 8 days, two casualties in Battn Cpn Erdhardt & Pte Sanders. Both very serious, Capn Erdhardt recovered Sanders died, buried at Habarcq. Left trenches for 8 days rest on the 20th April. While at Arras Q.M & Servant wounded by shrapnel on road entering Arras (known as Dead Man corner) Q.M. Horse killed & Servants mule killed.
On Sunday 23rd April my company inoculated in the chest, double dose, I am very ill for 3 days. This is Easter, 1916. I give up smoking.
On Thursday 27th April leave Habarcq for Arras, stay in Arras 25 days then go to Duisans for 6 days rest, return to Arras May 28th, we C.Q.M.S stay at very large house in Arras.
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