Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue

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X550/6/8/1704
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War Diary for April 1917 1 Apr 1917 - Inseirat Holy Communion 0700 & 1000. Church parade 0900. Gas drill, Bathing, Fatigues draft of 1 officer & 147 O.Rs arrived from ROMANI. 2 Apr 1917 Battalion for 3 parties of 300 men & officers for work on road formation. 1700 Gas drill. B Coy left camp 1700 for covering party to RE working party. 3 Apr 1917 0245 B coy returned with nothing to report. Gas drill & marching. 0700 C coy left camp as covering party returned 1705. 1700 D coy went out as working party. Camp routine. 4 Apr 1917 0140 D coy returned nothing to report. 0700 A coy went out returned 1700 1715 C coy went out as covering party. Camp routine. 5 Apr 1917 0240 C coy returned 0700 B coy left as covering party. D coy left as digging party to dig in naval 'phone line. Returned 1710. 1700 A coy left as covering party 6 Apr 1917 0240 A coy returned with nothing to report. 0700 C coy left as covering party. Returned 1700. Being GOOD FRIDAY rest of battalion attended Church parade at 0900. 1715 D coy went out on covering party returned 2230 7 Apr 1917 0700 B coy found covering party which returned 1700. A & C found working parties 8 Apr 1917 0245 A & C returned. HOLY COMMUNION 0600. EASTER DAY. Church parade 0800. 0830 B & D found working parties which returned 1530 9 Apr 1917 0740 A coy found working party & returned 1715. Routine work in camp. 10 Apr 1917 0700 B & C found working parties for 486 Field Coy RE, out 0700 returned 1715. D & A coy found covering party to 484 & 486 Fld Coy RE. Parties returned about 0200 11th. 11 Apr 1917 C.O. took mounted officers for a reconnaisance. 0700 B coy found working party which returned 1600. Camp routine. 12 Apr 1917 Camp routine coy training C.O. & adj reconnoitred ground E of SHEIKH NEBAW 13 Apr 1917 Camp routine & training 14 Apr 1917 1000 GOC 54th Div inspected coys training C.O. & adj & 2 coy commanders reconnoitred ground on DORSET HOUSE side of WADI NUKABIR, with a view to intended advance 1030 C.O's conference at Bde HQ. Camp routine. 15 Apr 1917 0700 HOLY COMMUNION. C.O. adj OCA & B coys LIEUT TAITT & MGO of 162 MG Coy reconnoitred same ground as yesterday. Camp routine. 16 Apr 1917 Morning spent in preparation for a move forward. Packing kits, inspections issuing extra rations & stores. Afternoon everyone not on duty rested. 1900 From 1900 silence to 2400, for A B & D coys. C coy moved out at 2200 crossing C 14 of WADI GHUZZE & took up a position in T4 to cover concentration of Bde at DORSET HOUSE 17 Apr 1917 - Mansura Ridge 0105 Batt less one coy moved up Wadi NUKABIR [owing to the action of the weather on the carbon duplicate taken at the time the next 3 lines are illegible] 0640 About 0640 the batt had securted a line about 600 yds long on MANSURA RIDGE & was consolidating it; C Coy was drawn out into reserve & the line from right to left dug & held by A B & B coys. 18 Apr 1917 day passed with intermittent shell fire. 19 Apr 1917 0530 General attack commenced. Batt closed into Bde reserve after the attack had gone through. 0740 D coy were thrown in to try to make touch with 10th London & 4th Northants. 1340 D coy got touch with Northants & advanced as far as possible. 1830 Heavy shell & MG fire stopped progress. During the night the whole of the battalion were thrown in to take up a trench line. This was completed about 2100, the Batt holding about 1500 yds of rifle pits; each to hold 7 men at intervals of 25 paces. the night passed without incident (Casualties for the day, 2 officers wounded, Lieut H.WILKIN & 2nd LIEUT LL BRERETON who died of his wounds 10 days after & about 40 ORs killed wounded & missing 20 Apr 1917 Batt distributed CDAB from about W.20.D.2.9. to W.13.c.8.9. some snipers & shelling during the day but hardly any damage done. Digging & wiring continued at night. 21 Apr 1917 0500 Touch found with 10th LONDON Regt on left & 161 Bde on right. 1900 At night a new line was taken up & wired old trenches being filled in & wire rolled up. 22 Apr 1917 - Sheikh Abbas New line from 2nd H of SHEIKH ABBAS to Wadi near 20A.8.2. day passed without incident digging at night 23 Apr 1917 2045 Day passed without incident except that an enemy patrol fired a burst of rapid fire from about 1250 yds. Light signals during this were: 1 green 3 white 1 green near the beginning of burst & 2 red when firing ceased. 24 Apr 1917 Day passed without incident. some shelling, sniping & counter sniping. Our snipers claimed 2 hits. 25 Apr 1917 1800 The batt was relieved in the trenches by 1/11th LONDON REgt. Coys withdrew to position in rear of lip of SHEIKH ABBAS ridge behind the line the batt had held. 26 Apr 1917 0730 Found digging party of 250 for road making 0730-1130. In the evening all coys dug on their dug outs deep refuse & latrine pits were started & terraced for dugouts & paths cut in the sides of the lip which is nearly precipitous in this neighbourhood. 27 Apr 1917 Work continued as yesterday & in addition a party worked at Bde HQ of 60 28 Apr 1917 Work continued as before & shelters were erected with the supply of iron & timber which became available 29 Apr 1917 HOLY COMMUNION, work continued, Regtl aid post started 30-31 [sic] Apr 1917 Work continued on roads, dugouts, shelters, sanitation & in the evening on the trench line
Date free text
1-30 Apr 1917
Production date
From: 1917 To: 1917
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item