Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue

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X550/2/5/1412
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War Diary for December 1914 1 Dec 1914 - trenches north west of Wulverghem Trenches improved by communication trenches & addition of steel loopholes. Casualties - 1 wounded. 2 Dec 1914 Major Roche, with 6 other officers & 190 other ranks joined at 8 p.m., as reinforcements from England. 3 Dec 1914 Trenches constantly falling in owing to wet, & nature of soil. R.E. assisted our men at night in revetting, bailing out trenches etc. but without much avail. Casualties 2. 4 Dec 1914 Our right trench dug a 'sap' which surprised enemy at dawn, several of their ration party being shot from there. Casualties - six. 5 Dec 1914 - Dranouter Relieved by 2nd K.O.S.B. at about 6 pm & moved into billets in support near DRANOUTRE, leaving 3 officers & 200 men to assist K.O.S.B. who were too weak to hold the line. Casualties 1 officer; 1 man killed. 6 Dec 1914 Remained in billets. 7 Dec 1914 3 officers & 200 men left in trenches were relieved & arrived at billets about 10 p.m. 8 Dec 1914 - trenches near Wulvergem Reinforcements numbering 140 Sergeants, R.& F. arrived from BAILLEUL. Battn unexpectedly received orders about 12.45 p.m. to return to firing line. Proceeded to WOLVERGHEM and took over line near there from 1st Norfolk Regt. at dusk 9 Dec 1914 Quiet day in trenches except for occasional sniping & shrapnel. 2 killed & 1 man wounded. 10 Dec 1914 Patrols & scouts reconnoitred German trenches during early morning: found Germans alert, & trenches protected by wire. Casualties 2 killed 3 wounded. Relieved by 1st R.West Kent Regt. at dusk, & returned to billets at St.JANS CAPPEL about 8 1/2 miles away. 11 Dec 1914 - St-Jans-Cappel Arrived in billets about 1 a.m. Billeted in farms some distance apart. The Brigade in Divisional Reserve. 11-12 Dec 1914 Reorganized companies, made up numbers of acting ranks to complete vacancies amongst N.C.O. 13 Dec 1914 Orders received about 4 p.m. to move early next morning. No opportunity of washing clothes or men, as Battalion's turn at baths, Bailleul, on 14th cancelled owing to move. 14 Dec 1914 - Nieuwkerke Brigade in Corps Reserve, marched from billets arriving at DRANOUTRE 8 a.m. Spent day bivouacing in muddy field whilst attack on enemy's trenches taking place near WYSCHAETE [sic]. Moved after dark to billets at NEUVE EGLISE 15-16 Dec 1914 Remained at Neuve Eglise in Reserve. Arranged baths for about 1/2 Battalion. 17 Dec 1914 - trenches near Wulvergem Brigade took over line of Trenches. Bedfords on left, close to WOLVERGHEM, between R.W.Kent & Dorset Regt. Communication trenches full of water, other trenches wet in parts. 1 Company 6th Cheshire Regt. (Territorials) attached to Bedfords for duty. Half Battn in trenches, remainder in support at NEUVE EGLISE. 1 casualty. 18 Dec 1914 Attack on our left against WYTSCHAETE continued. Heavy bombardment of Enemy along our front, combined with bursts of Infantry fire from our trenches ordered at intervals throughout the day. Remainder of Battn. sent up to reinforce at 6 a.m. but no room for them in trenches, so were sent back again to Neuve Eglise. Wolverghem & neighbourhood of trenches shelled intermittently by Enemy; shells fell in some cases very close to trenches, or almost into them, but no actual casualties caused in Battn. 19 Dec 1914 'B' Company from Support in Neuve Eglise sent to front, so as to arrive by 6 a.m.. with instructions to crowd into trenches or failing room to get any cover available in Wolverghem (N.B. Wolverghem, owing to shelling has no complete houses standing). Reconnaissance of front ordered with view to ascertaining possibility of advancing. Enemy's trenches in front form more or less arc of a circle so that any advance on our part likely to be partially enfiladed. 20 Dec 1914 Heavy bombardment of enemy's trenches, to cooperate with attack from other parts of our line, during yesterday, & to a lesser extent today. Enemy did not respond with much rifle fire, but shelled our trenches. About 12 yards of our front trench blown in by heavy explosive shell, & machine gun damaged. 2 men killed, 2 wounded by 'snipers'. 21 Dec 1914 No change in situation. Enemy put two heavy shells through Hd Quarters of Battn., a partially damaged farm: 1 shell an 8 inch armour piercing pierced three walls & fortunately failed to explode. Several shells struck the trenches, but owing to amount of water in trenches the portions damaged happened to be unoccupied. 22 Dec 1914 No change: frost in early morning rendered the situation in the wet & muddy trenches very unpleasant. Enemy shelled the roads along which rations were coming at dusk, but without result. 23 Dec 1914 No change 24 Dec 1914 Relieved by Manchester Regt. at 8pm. Battn took over a section on their right from Dorset Regt. at about 9 pm. without any casualties. Wolverghem & Battn. Hd Qrs shelled by enemy. Reinforcements 69 R & File arrived. 25 Dec 1914 Christmas cards from Their Majesties the King & Queen distributed to all ranks of the Battn. Also present from Her R. Highness Princess Mary. Cold & frosty day. Quiet day. Germans semaphored over that they were not going to fire. Hard frost all day. [note that a private diary by a battalion member records fraternisation between men of B Company and the Germans in No Man's Land] 26 Dec 1916 Another quiet day. A little shelling by both sides. Some Germans came forward unarmed apparently with a view to friendly intercourse. A few shots fired in their direction as a hint to withdraw. Later, enemy shelled trenches & Wolverghem: damaged several rifles, but only wounded 1 man. 27 Dec 1914 No change in situation. Enemy shelled trenches & section generally. 2 men wounded. New fire trench dug in advance. 28 Dec 1914 No change. Heavy outburst of rifle fire from enemy's line at dusk. 29 Dec 1914 - Bailleul Battn. relieved by Duke of Wellington's Regt. at about 8.30 pm. & moved into Divisional Reserve along with remainder of 15th Bde. Billeted at BAILLEUL. Lt.Col. C.R.Griffith D.S.O. temporarily takes over command of 15th Brigade from Br.Gen.Count Gleichen who proceeds to England. 30 Dec 1914 In billets in Bailleul 31 Dec 1914 All men inoculated against Enteric who have not been inoculated within past 2 years.
Date free text
1-31 Dec 1914
Production date
From: 1914 To: 1914
Level of description
item