Frank Swannell Diaries: Part I
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13th (5th Royals) Are stopped by wire barricade & 250' of trench blow to pieces and heaped with dead--Cut gap & crawl thru one by one under bad fire & start to dig shelter trench to span the gap--Got down three fee.--Wallis in altercation with O.C. of 13"--who says his battalion cannot retire "We have held it with 40 men for you & you have 500" (Continued beginning of book) Page 8 | 13th (5th Royals) Are stopped by wire barricade & 250' of trench blow to pieces and heaped with dead--Cut gap & crawl thru one by one under bad fire & start to dig shelter trench to span the gap--Got down three fee.--Wallis in altercation with O.C. of 13"--who says his battalion cannot retire "We have held it with 40 men for you & you have 500" (Continued beginning of book) Page 8 | ||
Today, Saturday in the 3rd line--all Friday we are half dazed & most of us cannot sleep--Doubtless reaction from the terrific shell fire. In eveng 22d move to Essars-Les-Bethune | Today, Saturday in the 3rd line--all Friday we are half dazed & most of us cannot sleep--Doubtless reaction from the terrific shell fire. In eveng 22d move to Essars-Les-Bethune | ||
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| + | BC Archives MS-0392, Box 1, Volume 4/FRANK SWANNELL PAPERS, Diary and enclosures, 1915. | ||
Revision as of Aug 29, 2015, 1:57:22 PM
Festubert 42 (continued p. 8) May, 1915 At work at 4am making firing cover & grassing glacis--Bill Guiney who sleeps next me Takes my Turn at sentry as he & Kennie think I need next on account of my crack on the head & ration-packing
Thursday 20 [140-225]
Under heavy shell fire most of day--we being within 300 yds of German advance Trenches & directly behind Ger. comm. Trench which Germans snipers creep Stench here awful at times--Are partially enfiladed Casualties to 4pm. 29 in company--3 killed--Elliot struck with shrapnel & [?] 5 Times--Morton a nervous wreck--struck in back about 2 pm--Van Dyke struck over eye by spinning splinter while observing for sniper--[A?]Shell fire very bad 6-8 pm--Never though to see it through
Friday 21 [141-221] Easter Law Sittings end. Oxford Easter Term ends
Charge ordered 815 pm--Crossing Germ. Communc. Trench & German machine guns train on us & mow us down--I rush 50 yds then fall flat besides Hammond--shot Thru leg--Poor Milburn (Plat. Sargeant) leading Killed almost instantly-->M.G. Traversed 1. my life saved as I tripped in Milburns equipment & fell on my face. Bullets clipped the high [group?] Pitched on his face & gave a kick or wo--We cross back Thru. shell gap in communication trench & prepare under Corp. Carr to advance along it--[?] so--& start to dig in (now dark) Carr gets it in the hip & Jack Bradbury & Chapple--Lieut. Wallis finds us, orders us in the communication trench & to cut rampart down for rifle fire then we are told to move along & connect with the
Saturday 22 [142-223] 21st Week Oxford Trinity Term begins
13th (5th Royals) Are stopped by wire barricade & 250' of trench blow to pieces and heaped with dead--Cut gap & crawl thru one by one under bad fire & start to dig shelter trench to span the gap--Got down three fee.--Wallis in altercation with O.C. of 13"--who says his battalion cannot retire "We have held it with 40 men for you & you have 500" (Continued beginning of book) Page 8 Today, Saturday in the 3rd line--all Friday we are half dazed & most of us cannot sleep--Doubtless reaction from the terrific shell fire. In eveng 22d move to Essars-Les-Bethune
BC Archives MS-0392, Box 1, Volume 4/FRANK SWANNELL PAPERS, Diary and enclosures, 1915.