24 September 1916
Left Boulogne for Le Havre at 12 noon and was 24 hours in train.
Today this would be a two and a half hour journey by car.
Today this would be a two and a half hour journey by car.
Sunday, 14 January 2018
22 and 23 September 1916
Went to clearing station at Merville and stayed night.
Left Merville by hospital train 12.30 arrived Boulogne hospital 8pm. Saw Lampard's suicide in Mail.
Merville was a short distance from Vieille Chappelle. The travel time by car from Merville to Boulogne today is One and a quarter hours. It took Louis seven and a half hours on the train.
Louis notes the suicide of 'Lampard'. This is almost certainly Arthur Charles Lampard.
In 1844 Harrison and Crosfield was formed as a company doing business in Tea in the Far East. In 1895 Arthur Charles Lampard became a partner and Harrison Lampard Crosfield opened an office in Colombo Ceylon, branching out into rubber as well as tea. The following articles from UK press reports in September provide the sad background to Louis's note.
The following press report gives more detail:
Left Merville by hospital train 12.30 arrived Boulogne hospital 8pm. Saw Lampard's suicide in Mail.
Merville was a short distance from Vieille Chappelle. The travel time by car from Merville to Boulogne today is One and a quarter hours. It took Louis seven and a half hours on the train.
Louis notes the suicide of 'Lampard'. This is almost certainly Arthur Charles Lampard.
In 1844 Harrison and Crosfield was formed as a company doing business in Tea in the Far East. In 1895 Arthur Charles Lampard became a partner and Harrison Lampard Crosfield opened an office in Colombo Ceylon, branching out into rubber as well as tea. The following articles from UK press reports in September provide the sad background to Louis's note.
As a post script it is worth noting that Harrison and Crosfield continued to grow after the war , again widening its business range into timber and divesting its tea business to Twinings. It later changed name to Harcros and again after broadening this time into chemicals, it became Elementis. A company still listed on LSE.
18 and 19 September 1916
Left Zelobes and joined D company at Le Hamel near Gorre (in old brigade HQ). Very wet.
Left for trenches at 07.30pm with 50 men. Putting V frames and boards in shitland! Working in 2ft of water.
One of the few times that Louis 's language descends into the vernacular. The word may possibly be Shetland, but the exclamation mark and context would suggest reading as shitland(!).
19 September would be the first and last day that Louis is in charge of men in the trenches.
Left Zelobes and joined D company at Le Hamel near Gorre (in old brigade HQ). Very wet.
Left for trenches at 07.30pm with 50 men. Putting V frames and boards in shitland! Working in 2ft of water.
One of the few times that Louis 's language descends into the vernacular. The word may possibly be Shetland, but the exclamation mark and context would suggest reading as shitland(!).
19 September would be the first and last day that Louis is in charge of men in the trenches.
Sunday, 7 January 2018
6 and 7 September 1916
Priest and Robson left Etables to join 7th Bn.Route march to Paris Plage. Henderson and Pearn joined 6th Bn. was warned to join 12th Bn.
Left Etables 4.30am for Bethune via Calais and St Omer to join 12th Bn. Lost valise on rail. Joined 12th Bn at Zelobes by La Couture.
Paris Plage was in Le Touquet. The route march from Etables would have taken about an hour and a quarter.
La Couture is the location for a small cemetery for Indian soldiers.
Louis always refers to Etables with a 'b' rather than the conventional spelling Etaples. Louis's arrival coincided with a sad event at Etaples. Only a few days previously, at the end of August, an Australian soldier was alleged to have verbally abused a British officer, and was aided by fellow soldiers in resisting arrest. 5 soldiers were subsequently court martialled. Whilst Australian forces could not be subject to to the death penalty , New Zealand forces had no similar respite, and an Australian soldier serving with the NZ forces was subsequently shot by firing squad in October. A more widespread uprising occurred at Etaples in 1917 (The Etaples Mutiny) , which also led to court martials.
Etaples at the time was known as a desolate place - the stopping of place for soldiers headed for the front . It is referred to in poems by both Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen.
Louis is joining the 12th Bn KOYLI- These were the Pioneers , a battalion composed largely of miners , raised by the West Yorkshire Coalowners Association in 1914 and who had already seen action -armed with less ammo but also packing a small pick or shovel .
http://www.pals.org.uk/koyli/
Louis manages to lose his officer's valise. This would have contained items such as shaver, brush but also possibly a small camp bed. Such a loss only a few days into his new role must have caused much consternation and possible disciplinary consequences.
Left Etables 4.30am for Bethune via Calais and St Omer to join 12th Bn. Lost valise on rail. Joined 12th Bn at Zelobes by La Couture.
Paris Plage was in Le Touquet. The route march from Etables would have taken about an hour and a quarter.
La Couture is the location for a small cemetery for Indian soldiers.
Louis always refers to Etables with a 'b' rather than the conventional spelling Etaples. Louis's arrival coincided with a sad event at Etaples. Only a few days previously, at the end of August, an Australian soldier was alleged to have verbally abused a British officer, and was aided by fellow soldiers in resisting arrest. 5 soldiers were subsequently court martialled. Whilst Australian forces could not be subject to to the death penalty , New Zealand forces had no similar respite, and an Australian soldier serving with the NZ forces was subsequently shot by firing squad in October. A more widespread uprising occurred at Etaples in 1917 (The Etaples Mutiny) , which also led to court martials.
Etaples at the time was known as a desolate place - the stopping of place for soldiers headed for the front . It is referred to in poems by both Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen.
Louis is joining the 12th Bn KOYLI- These were the Pioneers , a battalion composed largely of miners , raised by the West Yorkshire Coalowners Association in 1914 and who had already seen action -armed with less ammo but also packing a small pick or shovel .
http://www.pals.org.uk/koyli/
Louis manages to lose his officer's valise. This would have contained items such as shaver, brush but also possibly a small camp bed. Such a loss only a few days into his new role must have caused much consternation and possible disciplinary consequences.
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