Surveys Trenches 1235-142. Court Breve shelled

AUG. - SEPT., 1915.

SUNDAY 29

Surveyed trenches 135-142. Transport moving from Messines behind German trenches, dumping heavy metal. Enemy snipers very active. Grass in front 141-142 set on fire by flare 130 am - Six Germans left their trench and tried to spread fire - fired on and 2 fall Wet stormy night. 16th relieved.

MONDAY 30

Five shrapnel sent into Courte Breve Fme 300 yds down the road from here - 16th HQ. 4 of our men hit - Jack Frost head & 4 bullets in the legs "Old Trapper" McDonald. 'Sandy' & one other -- Stormy night and much rifle & machine gunfire Horse Transport (German) going and coming all night into Messines. Enemy transport on Warneton-Messines Road trenches 135-142 - a few shells fired at Ration Farm. Work being done around ruins of La Petite Bouve Fme - hammering& trowel used (only 130 yds from our front line). Jack Frost & 3 others wounded

TUESDAY 31

Ration Party of 7th opened on by machine-guns - 22 casualties - 7 killed. Reported that 19 of these men were from the old 30th. Dave Donaldson now 'pigeon-groom' - calls-go to Romarin together. Much of hammering & stake-driving by the enemy appears to be on account of long stakes they are using - stand ---- about five fee above the ground, connected up with wire & space between them; their trench filled -- with earth. 12:30 PM. Charge laid in mine Tr. 131 exploded & almost simultaneously enemy's machine-guns opened on the craters & as soon as the gas cleared occupied all the old positions & the new one. No casualties & only slight damage to our parapet

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 1

Plotting map all day - Too wet to survey in trenches -- Test of pigeon-service made - Dave liberates bird at trench 136, which reaches HQ. in 6 minutes - Most of telephone wires cut by German shells. Donaldson says the Germans use carrier-pigeons between salients of the front line itself.

Enemy working-party seen at La Potterie Fme at 830 am. - at that time very indistinct owing to mist. Mist lifted suddenly 1030 am. & our artillery shelled party - Enemy stretcher-bearers seen making many trips afterwards

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