Diary Entry - 25th February, 1918

It was raining hard with a strong west wind when we got up for breakfast and I thought Sid who had arranged to run us into Amiens in his car would not turn up. The appointed time ten a.m. came round with no sign of him and we were beginning to think it was a blue duck, in fact even started on foot with the hope of getting a lorry. However, turned back at the crossroads as it was such a rotten morning. Alex turned up with another man, Stokes, at twelve, having been out since nine forty-five a.m. running some officer to an aerodrome.So we sallied forth and found a 25 horsepower Vauxhall awaited us with no starting handle but by a quiet push she started all right and away we went. There was lots of mud about up to Albert and we had a puncture before reaching Bapaume but from Albert we ran in well to Amiens just getting another puncture as we got there. We had to get a pass from APM for lunch as it was after two but we managed that all right. The afternoon was spent in shopping and we bumped into one of the young Lindsays in RFC fancy dress, looking like any man of four letters. After dining at the Gobert Restaurant we set out for the car at nine fifteen p.m. The car was started after much pushing and we got under way with a beautiful moon shining at nine forty-five p.m. There were no lights needed and we made good speed to Albert in spiet of losing a cap on the way. Near Bapaume we just avoided a Mess cart. The driver was very bad and bad as he was the car felt good but when Sid took the wheel for a bit she felt a top notcher and my opinion of Vauxhalls has risen. We found on returning to the Mess a new officer named Robson stretched out on the floor.