All Quiet on the Front

Well chums its all quiet on the front. It makes a change from the mayhem of Shell Trap Farm and the gas attacks and then Pilkem. Me and the battalion are still in the Auchonvillers area. I last wrote around the 25th of August. Since then we have been in the front line from the 25th until the 2nd of September and then again from the 9th up until now. We were relieved last night by the Royal Irish Fusiliers. We are now doing more or less 8 day stints, 8 in the line then 8 out. This is twice what it was before but I musn't grumble its comparitively quiet around these parts.

Our stint in the trenches starting on the 25th passed with a only a few casualties, on the 31st some rifle and hand grenades were fired into our trenches and six men were wounded.

On the 29th of August one company of the 8th Battalion of the East Lancashires joined for instruction in trench duties. Our boys are old hands, or should I say whats left of our old boys are. The East Lancs stayed with us for a couple of days and left quite happy. Poor sods I thought, its as quiet as anything in these parts, wait until they go to Ypres, they wont know whats hit them.

On the 2nd of September we were relieved by the Royal Irish Fusiliers and we marched to billets at Acheux. Quite a bit of a march. Whilst we were in billets there was a general reorganisation and refitting of the battalion. We are still suffering from the effects of Pilkem two months on. We also had working parties on the reserve and support line trenches.

On the 9th we marched to Auchonvillers again and then relieved the Royal Irish Fusiliers in the trenches. This time in the trenches it was very quiet. There has been the odd shells but nothing to worry about. A rifle grenade landed in the trench on the 14th and killed 1 man and wounded 4 others but other than that there hasn't been much bother at all.

We've been spending all our time carrying out repair work and improvements to the trenches. We've also drained and improved the communication trenches. We've done some quite good work and the improvements we have made are quite tremendous.

I've got a copy of a map of the area.

Auchonvillers with Hun Trenches shown 

This map shows the Hun trenches but not ours. We don't want the Hun to know our disposition. You'll see that the Hun trenches run North/South and by a place called Beaumont Hamel. The trenches we have been occupying are just to the north of Auchonvillers.

This next map shows a larger section of the area.

Auchonvillers, Forceville and Acheux

You will be able to see Forceville to the West and then Acheux further to the West. These are the two places where we have been staying in billets.

The last time I wrote I said that I would copy sections of the pamphlet we had for the Minden Day celebrations. Unfortunately I've lost it. Instead I've got a copy of a leaflet we had for a concert night we had in Le Touquet. Hopefully this will be ok. It gives you an idea of the homestyle entertainment that we sometimes put on to keep our morale up.

 

I've also copied one of my letters back home, I've attached it as a document to the right hand side of this blog. In this I wrote to my brother Bill. I mention my brother George's wife who lives in Leigh, Lancashire. I'd stayed with them when I joined up. My brother George has sadly died in action, I'm not sure where this happened, I did write to his commanding officer asking for more information but never got anything back. George's wife hasn't had any further information either, just a letter to say he was killed in action.

In the letter I also refer to many of my extended family who live in the Rotherham and Barnsley area.

I also relate to my brother Bill how I was with Jacky Lynn on that fateful day when the Hun gassed us and Jacky let them have it with his maxim.

I've aso heard that some furlough might be coming our way but as I say in the letter none has been forthcoming.

Anyway chums were now in billets in Forceville. I'm hoping we'll get another 8 days out of the line. Knowing our luck it may turn back to the usual 4 out and then 4 in.

I'll say goodbye for now. Hoping you are all well as I am.

Albert x