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Sunday 11 March 2012

Diary Entry - 10th March, 1917

Walford: Z day. This was the morning for the attack on Grevillers and soon after four thirty a.m., when I was getting up, Walrond and Bromley arrived with the scheme for the barrage and the number ones were all busy preparing ammunition. The barrage was very simple and the rate being only gunfire 20 '. The ball opened well together, except for some other division well on our right and, although the Major went forward, the light was impossible and very little news could be gleaned. About nine a.m., we received news that all objectives were gained and about 200 prisoners had been accounted for by the division. The firing was all over by six fifteen a.m. and things seemed quite quiet. However, in the afternoon, the Bosch shelled Irles and Grevillers slightly, but the casualties were very slight. I saw some Bosch being taken down as I went to the rear position and the infanteers seemed very pleased with the barrage.

Bee: Had what they called a bath at nine a.m. after breakfast but they only gave me about two cans of water, which hardly wet me. Captain Dunlop, the vet, came round. He is acting AOVS. Our horses I believe are as good as any in the division. We are back onto 18 pounds of corn now, but they want it, all the work they are doing, on an average 9 to 10 hours a day. I pushed it home how they had fallen away on nine pounds of corn. I'm sure the whole of our horse trouble in this division is due to our ADVS major Swanston. He either takes drugs or is doolally. He certainly does not look as if he knows anything about horses and never by any chance will give a direct answer. Claudet and Armytage turned up this evening, both looking very fit but Claudet, of course, has lost two pairs of glasses between London and here. They had a bad trip back and finally got to Amiens. I have a hell of a throat today and I expect am in for flu.

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