50 Billets Essars-Lez-Bethune

JUNE, 1915    [18th, Sun rises 3h. 44m
SUNDAY 13 [164-201]  2nd after Trinity

Short route march - Write to Mitchell -- Incessant artillery fire - later machine guns all night

MONDAY 14 [165-200]

Officer tells Sergt Maj to dock me days pay for not wearing respirator - mistakes me for Corp Wing Get mad - Tell Forbes the G-II-Lieut owes me an apology - nearly "court martial & sudden death" for me Paid 10 francs -- Paymaster -- Columbia man tells me I should be laying out the mines See Emery -- Mace now No2 Co 7th Battalion -- Hear that Blackie went crazy in the trenches Talk with group of peasants "Bons soldats, les Canadiens" TUESDAY 15 [166-199] Standing to from 4 pm -- Tremendous artillery duel going on in afternoon -- whole horizon a bank of smoke with flashes of shrapnel showing as glints of light. Assault in force on tonight evidently "Pte___ No ____. Northampton Regiment, tried by Court Martial sentenced to death for " misbehavior amounting to cowardice in face of the enemy -- Sentence executed 4 am June 5th to be read before all units Grenadier Guards go in grousing and swearing most volubly about the mud

WEDNESDAY 16 [167-198]

Tremendous artillery duel still on -- String of ambulances filing back -- one full of trench artillerymen Hear 1st C. Batt lost all but 120 men -- We are "standing by" from 4 pm & all night -- Our noble Colonel evidently wants to win honour by proxy again Speech from Col. Lecky -- safer to advance than retreat if we get into an untenable position -- Does not want to see us "exterminated" -- good word that! Served out 4 sandbags & I get a gas helmet --

54

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