.NzE.MTE1Nzc
Page 57 Ploegsteert (Plug St)
14th, Mn's last qu. 5:54 a.m. JULY, 1915. [9th, Sun rises 3h. 56m. SUNDAY 4 [185-180] 5th after Trinity Independence Day, U.S.A. 1776
Church Parade -- compulsory -- get called down by Capt for asking permission to go to church at Steenwerck
MONDAY 5 [186-179]
Leave billets for Ploegsteert 430 -- Close the frontier into Belgium near Nieppe and are billeted in the "Piggeries" in the Bois de Ploegsteert ("Plug Street" of the Tommies) -- a model farm -- supposed to belong to King Albert -- cement floor pens, & feeding troughs. Four Canadian Privates alloted the space of one Flemish pig..Got bedded down at midnight but floow unconscionably hard & of course no blankets. Beautiful wooded country around here -- everywhere cut by Reserve trenches, barricades, redoubts and barb-wire.
TUESDAY 6 [187-178] George V. married, 1893
Our machine gun office struck by a stray bullet end of the Piggeries Road -- dies at dawn -- All in the Estaminet near by put under arrest on account of blaze being seen arising from chimney -- Explained later as caused by fat overturned in the stove. Chateau de la Hutte, back of Hyde Park Cor shelled to pieces -- observation post of our artillery. 8 pm sent on working party digging & sandbagging commun. trench-- Jack Ensch & I have one traverse-- dig 3' and sandbag 4 bags high -- Night absolutely black and I am so sick I can hardly stand -- Jack won't let me do anything but fill sandbags
WEDNESDAY 7 [188-177]
blowing hard with rain squalls -- Feeling out of sorts -- So dark can't see what we are doing -- Germans throwing up flares & stray bullets whining past, but nobody hit. Cannot see one's hand move before one's face. Again tonight on working party covering dugout roofs along front firing line -- Continuous sniping here and several men hit. Sgt. Maj. wounded by shrapnel near Hyde Park Corner
BC Archives, MS-0392. Box 1/Volume 4. FRANK SWANNELL PAPERS Diary and enclosures, 1915.
