Frank Swannell Diaries: Part I
Diaries of Frank Cyril Swannell Learn more.
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BC Archives MS-0392 - Box 1, Volume 4-5
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Festubert Trenches
45
May, 1915
Very quiet all day both sides, but continuous rumble of guns from beyond La Bassee - lie low all day - at 8 pm volunteer with Flewin for working party - Taken to Front line where the 15th were dug in - felt freezing (no greatcoat) - and had gone knee deep in mud down the communication trench - lying in the grass for 2 hrs. Then dug until 2 p.m. on a connection trench to an abandoned German trench - This latter literally shelled into debris and full of dead Germans exposed by shelling - Crater holes 12' across water filled -
Bright moonlight - some sniping - Germans busy driving wine stacks ahead - No casualties but terribly tired - all in, in fact
At 6 pm. Kenny on sentry, ducked into dugout on final shell or killed sure - I though the the 2d would get me as I had no head cover - Three shells drive right into our parapet - I nearly get it from a fragment glancing from my shovel & grazing my thumb - Dive into safety in the covered dugout (See sketch next page) Flewin, Tucker, Major Gibson & I live in this cave - most foul smelling with decayed vegetation - shell crater, water filled behind with dead mans boots & hand projecting - Lots of dead lying around unburied.
Sent out on working party again 8 to 2:30 - Deputed to lay out the Traverses - Regiment moves out & our kits are by some fatuity piled in the road. In the confusion matches are lit & the Germans drive in 2 shells very close.
Billetted in a shell wrecked house on the Festubert Road.
Two shells catch our billet - Middleton Van Dyk, Kinchin, Flewin, Guiney, Goodrich of my section all wounded & 7 others - Help Middleton the dressing station - Poor Van Dyk's jaw smashed, face cut open from nose to chin - an awful sight - streaming with blood. More murders as we should never have been put there on a main road with every barn marked by the Germans - This leaves myself, Kenny, Tucker & Findley of the old 30th section
Flewin, the 'Major', I lunched on the grass behind the billet - Flewin got two bruises from flying tiles - The Major & I were showered with debris but unhurt
Big gopher holes after dinner, but no more shelling - Dressing station shelled during night - Two hit.
The three shells that cleaned up the section all struck dead for the mark.
high explosive
BC Archives, MS-0392 Box 1, Volume 4, FRANK SWANNELL PAPERS, Diary and enclosures, 1915.