Diary Entry - 2nd April, 1917

Walford: It froze through the night and a cold south-east wind blew in the morning, increasing to a gale at midday. The poor old horses were looking very miserable as there was no shelter whatever. After lunch Cruikshank and I wandered out onto Lorette to see what shooting was going on. We found the place much more packed with guns than when we were here before. No sooner had we sat down on Lorette to view the country than it commenced raining and, as it looked as if it was too windy to keep up, we sat in the trench expecting it to be a shower. However, it kept on and so we made tracks for home under shelter of the wood. Before we got far it started sleeting and then turned into snow. It was bitter and when we came from shelter of the wood and had to walk along the crest I thought we should never get back as it was a regular blizzard. The ground was soon blotted out and within an hour and a half there was about four inches of snow on the ground. It stopped about six p.m. for an interval but began again about nine p.m. Needless to say we were very wet when we got back.

Bee: We took the right hand gun pit for a Mess. Bailey and Siggers came and lived with us which rather cramped our style. Bailey is beyond doub the most selfish man I have ever met. Our guns came up last night but did not arrive until eleven p.m We left them outside the pits with camouflage over them as were told would not fire for a day or two, but, of course, that was soon altered and we were told to start cutting wire immediately. Which of course was impossible as had no telephone wire for communication. We are rather lucky as we are the nearest to the railway and our position was completed before the other two were started but the others have the benefit of having dug outs for the men. It has been a brute of a day, snowing and raining and very cold. Our Mess leans like fun and everything is more or less damp.