Water, Water, Everywhere

Hi Folks, it's the end of my second week and what a week!

I would say its lovely weather for ducks, you need a boat to get to the front! I dare say its the same for the Hun as well though.

The trenches and land around here are saturated and flooded. The land is quite flat and low lying. There are loads of drainage channels taking the water off the land and down to the river, or that's what they are supposed to do, it seems like the reverse is happening. The rain is torrential and the water is just getting more and more, its like a boating pond.

In amongst this we are building more support and communication trenches as well as widening and repairing the front line trenches. Some of the trenches have become so waterlogged we have had to abandon them, they are chest deep in water!

The main action this week has been sniper fire from the Hun. The buildings he occupies at the end of Le Touqet give him an ideal advantage point to spy down on us and pick us off, its like a rabbit shoot only we are the rabbits.

It wasn't like this before, the war was fought on open ground with cavalry charges and pitch battles. The Battalion had the Hun on the run. The Battalion had arrived in this area of France on the 12th of October and had attacked him in Meteren, bayonets were fixed and house to house clearing was done.Several of the enemy were captured but the majority retired to the south east. The Battalion chased quickly behind to find them holed up in Le Touquet. This was attacked on the 18th and after much fighting the Hun retired to the houses at the junction in the village. The next day they sniped on the Battalion, the houses they were using were identified and shelled by our artillery. The Hun vacated these and moved to others with the majority falling back to Frelinghien.

This position then remained, the Hun in Frelinghien and the houses at the end of Le Touquet, and us in the rest of the village. They attacked several times and we repulsed them, we attacked them but their positions were too strong and well protected for us to take so we dug in, and so did Fritz. So that's how come we are now in trenches. I'm sure it won't be long before we get reinforcements and are on the move again.

The current week went like this:

On the 7th we had moved back into the trenches and spent our time watching for the Hun, repairing and draining the trenches. The day went quiet without incident.

On the 8th all the available men were draining the trenches, the water was pouring in everywhere. We were much hampered by the Hun who was sniping on us throughout this.

On the 9th we had to abandon the left support trench because it flooded.

On the 10th it was a quiet day but the water was rising all the time in the trenches and some were impassable due to being chest deep in water!

On the 11th our artillery shelled the snipers houses in Le Touquet. We cheered. The houses were demolished and the sniping ceased. In the evening we were relieved in the trenches by the Kings Own Regiment.

Boy was I glad to get back to the billets in Le Bizet. I was able to get out of my wet and muddy uniform and climb into a nice hot bath. After putting on some clean clothes and having some lovely hot scoff I started to feel human again.

From the 12th until today, the 14th, we have been in billets. Two companies have been out route marching each day. On the 13th Lt Hawkins arrived with 108 men. They were warmly welcomed. With this increase in numbers we may be able to mount an attack and drive the Hun out of Frelinghien.

On the 12th I wrote a letter back home to my Grandma in Rotherham, my first from the Front. I just let them know I was ok and asked how they were, I told them how we got plenty of food and cigarettes in abundance. I asked about the allotment money that should be repaid to me back home. I wished them all a Happy Christmas and that was it, I couldn't think of any more to say. Anyway if your interested my letter it is copied onto a page of this blog, the link is on the right.

well I thought  would send you some snaps of the place so here they are. The first is some chaps in one of the baths having a lovely time after all the cold, wet muddy trenches. They wouldn't stay still so they have come out blurred.

This snap is of the Railway Station at Le Touquet, as you can see its taken a direct hit in the tower. We pass this station on marches to and from the Front, its on the Bizet-Le Touquet Road.

The final snap is of the Battalion HQ that has been established at a Farm in Le Touquet. This is now known as Barkenham Farm. You can see it on the map I gave you in my last post, its just to the south of the road leading west from the junction in Le Touquet. On the map its labelled Barkenham Ho.

Then after some shelling the slates on half of the barn roof have been blown off.

We'll I hope you enjoyed those snaps. I'm now back off into those cold, wet, freezing trenches. We're relieving the Kings Own who have been in there for the last 5 days.  know how those boys feel, I must say I don't fancy going back but 'must needs', its for King and Country, for you folks back home. Wish me luck and hopefully see you in a weeks time.

Albert x