X550/6/8/1706

War Diary for June 1917 1 Jun 1917 - Sheikh Abbas Camp routine. Last batch of T.A.B. 1 inoculations completed: Training in bombing (on a basis if 4 sections of 1 NCO & 7 men per coy), Lewis Guns (on a basis of 4 sections of 1 NCO & 6 men per coy), Sanitary & signalling & stretcher-bearing with first aid, continued under officer & NCO instructors 2 Jun 1917 As yesterday. Digging parties of 2 officers & 80 O.Rs were found for wire road mending 3 Jun 1917 HOLY COMMUNION 0615 & 0815. Church parade 0700. Voluntary service 1730. TRINITY SUNDAY 4 Jun 1917 Training as per programme outlined. Routine work in camp 5 Jun 1917 Training as yesterday. A section of the "sealed-pattern" trench employed by this battalion was constructed & bad shots were practised is assuming the correct position for firing at suitable aiming marks over the parapet. 6 Jun 1917 Training continued as yesterday. Men being trained in 2 of D coy's bombing sections & some of A coy's threw live bombs 7 Jun 1917 Training continued. The CO & adj rode to the bivouacks area of the 7th Royal Scots. Orders had been received that the 54th Div was to take over the area held by the 52nd Division on the night of the 12th/13th 8 following nights. This unit has been ordered to form left subsection reserve to the Div & for the purpose will be attached to the 163rd Bde on arrival at the new defences. The distribution of the battalion will be given later. A lecture on "Horse & Mule Management" was given by the ADVS at Bde H.Q. to all officers. 8 Jun 1917 Training continued. Live bombs thrown by rest of A & D coys' bombing sections. Further reconnaissance of the new position by C.O & Adj. Lecture by ADVS on "diseases of horses & mules", for all officers. 9 Jun 1917 Training continued C.O. adj., OsC A, B, C & D coys visited new area. Lecture on "sanitation" by D.A.D.M.S. for all officers. Demonstration & Lecture on "carrier pigeons" for all officers & some signallers 10 Jun 1917 HOLY COMMUNION 0630. Church parade 0500. Voluntary service 1730. C.O. Adj. M.O. T.O. & QM visited new line 11 Jun 1917 Training continued. All heavy baggage & Train Echelon kit dumped at QM Stores by 1200, Great coats in bundles by 10s by coys. Advance parties of 1 Officer & 1 O.R. per coy & HQ reported before dusk to the new unit & spent the next 24 hours in taking over trench stores alloting bivouacks & dugouts & generally preparing for the Battalion. 1800 Camels carried the dump to the new quarters under the escort of 1 NCO & 2 O.Rs per HQ & Coy. 2100 Owing to a raid having been timed about 2100 on the left of the left section, heavy rifle & artillery fire was going on when the convoy approached the new position & the camels were accordingly barracked for 4 hours & thus avoid loss from "overs" 12 Jun 1917 - Merioneth Redoubt, Flint Redoubt, Welch Redoubt The day was spent in rest apart from necessary fatigues connected with the move. 1900 the battalion moved off at 1900 & moved without incident to the "T-PIECE" a name given by this unit to the fork in the wire road in O.36.D.6.5. Here guides from advance parties took over the coys & HQ & led them to their new positions. Rations, water & light kit were brought by camels during the night to HQ where the coys sent necessary guides. 2130 The relief was complete . 155 Bde to whom the 1/5th Bedfords were attached being lent by 162 Bde for the purpose, was in command of the left subsector. the Battalion was distributed in the second or redoubt line in support to teh firing line of the left subsector, left section. A coy held MERIONETH Redoubt, D coy FLINT REDOUBT & C coy WELCH REDOUBT. B coy in reserve at Batt HQ. Detachments of MG coys were also in the redoubts. During the night a number of "overs" from enemy rifle & m.g. fire aimed at our front line, fell in the bivouack area at H.Q. 1 Pte, i Native camel driver & Camel were wounded. 13 Jun 1917 During the day work continued on men's bivouacks & redoubts. 1900 B Coy was detatched & lent to 1/4 NORFOLK Regt under 163 Bde orders & were employed to form 3 local supports to the 3 coys of NORFOLKS in the right of the Bde line. 14 Jun 1917 Work continued at the redoubts which are all vert incomplete a list or work to be done & work completed will be given in appendix A. Working psrties of 100 were sent to each redoubt from the reserve div to help. 15 Jun 1917 1300 B Coy was sent to train for 16 days at the 54th Div Coy training camp. A composite coy of 1/4th NORTHANTS & DEVON Regt men were sent to replace them. One man was hit by an over at night in the HQ cookhouse. A barricade of sandbags was erected near the cookhouse & near the place where the camels unload at night this gives the men protection. G.O.C. 54th Div inspected left section, including the redoubts held by this unit. Work continued during the day on the redoubts 16 Jun 1917 Work continued as yesterday. Everything has continued to be very quiet. Most days about 4 shells = "PIPSQUEAKS" - of about 15lb Fld gun type are sent over FLINT REDOUBT & one or two near WELCH REDOUBT, but so far no one has been hit by their shrapnel. During the hours of darkness a certain number of "overs" come near batt HQ bivouacks, but these are less frequent than on arrival & barricades of sandbags & an order issued to keep men not on duty in their bivouacks, have prevented any more casualties. 17 Jun 1917 Routine as usual. A latrine has been constructed on the beach and a bathing area allotted for use of the troops of thus unit. As this is in view of "SEA POST" an enemy work about 1500 yds away parties are limited to 12 at a time. A bathing picquet is told off in case of accidents. The ground on which the battalion now is, is a series of sand dunes& there is nearly always a cool breese from the sea. In consequence the health of the troops has greatly improved since arrival as will be seen from the numbers of sick shown in Appendix B. 18 Jun 1917 Work & Routine as yesterday. 19 Jun 1917 Routine as yesterday. Usual working parties from reserve. A quantity of hurdles 5' x 5' covered in matting arrived for the erection of bicouacks for the men & were erected as in sketch [sketch in text] 20 Jun 1917 Working parties as yesterday were received from the reserve. parties were sent down to bathe. Adj made reconnaissance of the front line & advance posts of the left batt of left sector i.e. the left of the line skirting the sea. Everything seemed extremely quiet & it was quite possible to keep one's head & shoulders over the parapet for 15 mins at a time without being sniped at. 21 Jun 1917 Work & routine as usual. 22 Jun 1917 Work & routine s usual. It is noticed that since the relief the enemy has been growing less & less active from a MG point of view. During the last 3 nights especially very few "overs" have come near the bivouack & most of those have been from single rifle shots & not from MG bursts. A few sharpnel & HE shells have come over - generally about 3-5 between 1500 & 1800 - & our guns have always replied with one or two salvoes which seems to have a sobering effect on the enemy guns. 23 Jun 1917 Work & routine as usual. Nothing of any note. 24 Jun 1917 Work & routine as usual. HOLY COMMUNION 0600. Voluntary service 1700 Lt-Col.EW BRIGHTEN CMG, who had been in command of 162 Bde during the absence sick of Brig-Genl A.MUDGE, [entry ends] 25 Jun 1917 Work & routine as usual. A wire cutting programme to extend over a fortnight was started by the artillery in our sector. Orders have been received that while wire cutting is going on unnecessary movement behind our front line is to stop, so as to avoid provoking retaliation. 26 Jun 1917 No working parties were sent to-day in view o fthe reorganisation ordered in the left subsection by 163 Bde. As a result of the reorganisation this battalion remains as before except that the coy of 4 NORTHANTS Regt attached has to be withdrawn to Batt local reserve with HQ. 27 Jun 1917 Working parties sent to work at FLINT & WELCH post 50 each. Routine as usual. 1430 Coy of 1/4th NORTHANTS reported at Batt HQ on completion of their withdrawal. 28 Jun 1917 Work & routine as usual. Northants supplied working parties for FLINT & WELCH. Very quiet on the front. 29 Jun 1917 Working parties as usual by detachment of Northants. More shelling but no casualties. 30 Jun 1917 Working party for FLINT only. Northants detachment worked at MERIONETH. 1/5 Bedfordshire Regiment MOVE ORDER No. 4 29 June '17 1. This unit will be relieved by the 1/11th London Regt on the night of July 4/5th 2. Each coy on relief will move independently to the area now occupied by 1/4th Northants Regt. Coys moving into the lines of the same lettered Coys of the 1/4th Northants Rgt. 3. "A" Coy 1/4th Northants Regt will rejoin its own Battn. moving to WART HILL 4. "B" Coy 1/5th Bedf. Rgt. on return from Divl. Training Camp will join the Battn. at the area now occupied by 1/4th Northants Regt. 5. All etails for moves will be arranged direct and mutually between the parties concerned. Usual handing over certificates will be prepared and sent to Battn. H.Q. on completion of the move 6. Relief will be reported to Battn. H.Q. and authority to move obtained before any party actually moves. Arrival at the new station will be reported to new Battn. H.Q. APPENDIX A June 17 MERIONETH Work completed: - 10 Fire Bays 1 Bomb dug-out 2 Lewis Gun dug-outs 1 Traverse shortened 1 Traverse re-constructed 30 yds Comm. trench Work in hand: - Construction of Fire Bays Traverses & dugouts Raining Walls of Comm Trenches Welch Redoubt Work completed: - 121 yards Comm trench 40 yds parapet 25 yards Parados Five Bays reconstructed Five trenches deepened & improved Work in hand: - Reserve Ration [unreadable] dug-out Improving existing parados & parapet Communication Trench Flintshire Redoubt Work completed: - Fire Trench 295 yds Communication Trench 112 yds Dug-outs 3 Lartrines 1 Work in hand: - Fire Trench 40 yds Communication Trench 90 yds Dug-outs 2 APPENDIX B June 1917 Average daily sick during month: 16 Strength at beginning of month: - 32 Officers 878 O.Ranks Strength at end of month 27 officers 895 O.Ranks

1-30 Jun 1917

From: 1917 To: 1917

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Mudge, Arthur,
Brighten, Edgar William,
Hare, Steuart Welwood,
Yarde, John Tristram

1st/5th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, 1st/4th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment, inoculation, church services, 1st/7th Battalion Royal Scots, 54th (East Anglian) Division, 52nd (Lowland) Division, 163rd Infantry Brigade, horses, mules, land weaponry, camels, veterinary surgeon, baths, 162nd Infantry Brigade, 1st/4th Battalion Norfolk Regiment, Devonshire Regiment, Sheikh Abbas, T-Piece [Gaza], Merioneth Redoubt [Gaza], Flint Redoubt [Gaza], Welch Redoubt [Gaza], Sea Post [Gaza]