Diary Entry - 15th December, 1915

I was very tempted to stay in bed when Bates called me at six thirty, especially after going to bed so late. The day broke rather cloudy, with a strong wind blowing from the south-east and a slight mist or haze behind Lone Farm. As the haze cleared, odd Germans could be seen walking about between Mad Alley, Pekin Alley and the special trench which runs across to the Corrons de Marron. I loosed off a gun at them now and again but, as I was not sure of my ground, did not do much damage. They seemed to take no notice of the guns and kept running about like rabbits from trench to trench, but as the light grew better they thought that the trenches were safer. At eleven thirty the Major called in on his way to the trenches. Our battery had to cut some wire in front of the Railway trench, and Suttie observed from Boyau 9, which is a high bit of ground in the trenches about the Vermelles road. He started to work at eleven fifteen, having 300 rounds or more, if wanted, to finish the job with. The Bosch got a wee bit angry at the continual shooting on his front and started, at eleven forty-five, to shell the communication trenches behind Mine trench and south of the Vermelles road, with pipsqueaks, five nines and four twos, but he also put a few pipsqueaks near our O.B. At about twelve, I could see that Suttie was having a fairly warm time, as 5.9s were coming thick and fast in his vicinity, but I knew he was all right as we were still banging away at 10 seconds. At one thirty, we finished the shoot with a beautiful salvo of H.E., fair into the wire - or what was left of us. Towards evening, after having studied the trenches well, I lay my guns on the rabbit runs and waited events. I forgot to mention that a certain Captain had been with me all day and making a general nuisance of himself, and he and self kept our eyes glued on the run, but I am glad to say he got tired of it when it got dusk. At ten to four, he saw two men, and we fired the right section, but they took too long and the corrector was also too short, and at four he left. A few minutes after he left, a Bosch strolled in a leisurely manner across the run, but I let him go to attract some more. My patience was rewarded in about five more minutes, as a bunch of three or four Bosch started from the Corrons de Marrons. When they got to a given spot, I shouted down the tube, "Fire No. 2 gun." It seemed hours till they fired, but finally the signaller reported two fired and, with my eyes glued to the telescope, I saw the flash and two of them seemed to drop and the other one I saw jump into the trench. The burst was a beauty, and I reckon that I bagged my first two birds in this war, or, if not, tickled them up – the light was too bad to swear by one's observation, but I am sure that I hit them. After that bit of work, I got my corrector for the night lines and made for the Mess. It was five before I got under way, as the signallers were late in getting to the trenches. As soon as it was dark, we had to get our guns onto the wire and fire one about every ten minutes, to keep the Bosch from putting out more. At twelve midnight, we were to make a gas attack on the Bosch first line trench and follow up with the bayonet. It was not really to be an attack but a kind of experimental scouting movement, to see the results of the gas and the state of the Bosch first line trench. However, the wind, which had been unfavourable all day, would not change, and the attack had to be abandoned. At ten we got orders to that effect from the brigade. I did not waste any time in getting to bed after the message arrived. After I had gone to bed, the First corps thought the wind had changed and tried to cancel the last order, but the gas experts had already evacuated the trenches and were not to be found, so there was nothing for it but to put it off until Friday 17th.