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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50
Billets Essars-Lez-Bethune
Short route march - Write to Mitchell -- Incessant artillery fire - later machine guns all night
Officer tells Sergt Maj to dock me days pay for not wearing respirator - mistakes me for Corp Wing Get mad - Tell Forbes the G D 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"
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
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 --
BC Archives, MS-0392 Box 1, Volume 4, FRANK SWANNELL PAPERS, Diary and enclosures, 1915.