48 Givenchy

Day 16 h 29 m. long]    June , 1915     [11th, Sun rises 3 h 45
Sunday 6 [157-208] 1st after Trinity

To Vendin church f mass. To church at Choques with Green. Leave in afternoon for trenches along Aine Canal - - horribly hot -- arrive 8 pm

Monday 7 [158-207] Givenchy Trenches

In sandbag trench here 100 yds from Germans -- Their trench black, white bags with iron plate loopholes - Only 7 in our section & the Major, Tucker & I in a 20' length between Traverse - Every other man on guard all night & one per length during the day - This meant we got 4 hrs on & 2 off at night & 2 on & 4 off all day / All hands in addition standing too 8 to 9 & 3 to 4 am. Have one small dugout into which two could hardly crawl. Considerable sniping, but Germans afraid to shell our trench. --Flares all night & trench bombs.

Tuesday 8 [159-206]

Awfully hot day & short of water - Our artillery shelling over out heads just missing our parapet - One of our shrapnel bursts short & kill a 13th Sergt of Machine Gun Regular labyrinth of trenches here - High grass between us & the Germans. 40 foot shaft & tunnel being run towards the Germans

Wednesday 9 [160-205]

All but sentries sent back to next line & our artillery badly burst up the German trench - Kennie & I in a communication trench - Terribly hot & no water for 14 hrs -- Our fellows firing incessantly all night to keep the Germans from fixing their wire I am on fatigue 8 pm - 12 - digging firing trench across salient of our line which it is feared the Germans have mined -- German trench bomb bursts 12 feet from me -- & we get sniped at.

52

BC Archives, MS-0392 Box 1, Volume 4/FRANK SWANNELL PAPERS, Diary and enclosures, 1915.