Feature

 

Taken to Moore Barracks Hospital
Ward 23 with measles, quite a number
of men with the same thing from other
battalions. One with concussion of the
brain and shell shock just back from
the front.

July 1:

Dominion Day celebrated by Canadian
troops. All kinds of sports, got out of
quarantine to see the fun. Good news
from the front, great
offences started, captured
first line trenches for 16
miles and still going.
July 28:

Saw an aeroplane come
down near camp owing to
the mist. He could not
cross the hills, it looked a
very frail machine and
the name of it was the
Punjab Montgomery. I
was also picked out to
parade in front of Colonel
Stewart with a model
pack.

September 4:

Started on machine gun class,
instructor is Corporal Henderson, a
Burlington boy. (Kearse was rated as
a First Class Shot).

September 23:

In the night, 2 more zepps were
brought down in Essex, one crew
being capture alive, a lot of damage
done.

October 14:

Passed medical inspection, put on draft
to the 10th. Battalion as replacement.
Issued Webb equipment.

October 21:

Trafalgar Day. Up at 4:30, breakfast at
5am, fall in at’6 o’clock. Ready to
proceed to France. Left Barracks at
6:45, boarded train at Shomecliffe at
8:15. Passed through Red Hill,
Guildford, Winchester. Arrived at
Southampton at 1:45pm. Had some
refreshments and went on board the
Princess Victoria at 4:45. Boat not
very large and crowded. Left South-
ampton at 5:30pm.

October 22:

Arrived at Le Havre at 12:30am after
an uneventful voyage, not sick at all.
Weather fine but cold. Came off the
boat at 7:30am and left Le Havre at
8am. Passed numerous war supplies,
including big guns. The city is very
dirty, buildings very old and dilapi-
dated. Passed very large munitions
factories. French children are very
dirty and begging money and ciga-

opcretea@siwash.bc.ca

rettes.

Arrived at camp at | lam after
several delays. Got dinner at the
YMCA and changed money. At 1
o’clock medical inspection which was
not very severe. Also received Lee
Enfield Rifle No. 17031. Name of
village near camp, Rouelles.

October 23:
Received 120 rounds of ammunition,

€ Fon at 7PM on a work party for the
trenches. Went through lots of mud
and water, was working on a tunnel.
Shells and more shells, and machine
gun fire. Lost our way in the
trenches...lots of great big rats

also inspected by a Brigadier General.
Left camp 7pm, arrived at Le Havre at
9pm after a very hard march, and came
down a large number of steps. Went on
train at 10pm as escort to two prison-
ers.

October 25:

Arrived at Etaples at 8am after a very
tiresome ride. Buildings look very old.
Very busy station, Australian troops
passing though en route for the
Somme, after being at Etaples, a very
large British and colonial camp near
the town.

Left Etaples at 6pm and arrived at St.
Pol at 9pm. Just settled down nicely
for the night when we were bundled
out and marched to a rest camp. We
were put in a recreation hut, earth
floor, very damp and cold.

October 26

Midnight. Too cold to sleep. Went out
and walked about to get warm. Could
plainly see the flashes from the big
guns on the firing line. Went back to
the station and into a room where
there was a nice fire, had a little sleep.
October 27:

Up at 7:30, paraded at 8:30 for half an
hour, then through the day, saw some
of the fellows with their shirts off
picking out vermin. The billet is a
French farm which is very dirty
compared with Canadian or English
farms. Sanitary arrangements are very
bad in France.

October 29:

Dreary, very wet. Church service in a

field, very cold. 6 years ago today I
left England for Canada (as an
immigrant).
November 2:
Up at 6am, fall in 7:30 and left for
brigade billets nearer the front line,
passed numerous trench work and
light railways. Arrived at our destina-
tion at 9:45am. Name of it, Givency,
which has been heavily shelled.
Nothing but walls left
inding, trees almost bare,
lets are fairly good, made
huts, fire place in ours,
ning hard.
Left at 7pm on a work
tty for the trenches. Went
‘ough lots of mud and
iter, was working on a
inel. Shells and more
ells, and machine gun
& 9 e. Lost our way in the
. nches...lots of great big
3!
..svember 16:
Fine and cold. Fritz a little
lively, sending over shells.
November 17:
At 11am, one of our bangs fell short
and blew Corporal Galloway to pieces.

He was well liked and the first to make

friends with us. It was a horrible sight.
November 26:
Orders to move at 10:30am, stormy.

Arrived in trenches at 3pm in wrong
place. Left at 9pm for reserve trenches,
very hard march along a small track
through lots of mud. Arrived 11pm,
very tired.

January 7, 1917:

Firing with the Lewis Gun in the
morning and in the afternoon, 3
French children hurt, one badly, when
a bomb exploded in a pile of rubbish.
One of them later died.

January 23:

Fire on ranges with Lee Enfield Rifle
in afternoon. Fritz shelled the town
and we are all chased out to a place of
safety.

January 25:

Weather fine and cold. Saw quite a
heavy bombardment on our right. Fritz
sent up coloured lights (flares). It was
quite a pretty sight...

January 29:

Heavy bombardment on our right. Our
artillery opened up and soon stopped
it.

January 30:

We are relieved by the 7th Battalion at
noon. Fritz threw over some heavy
shells causing some loss. 3 killed and
3 wounded in the 7th, 2 wounded in
the 10th.

February 14:

Shine up all equipment, parade at 12
o’clock. Battalion is inspected by Sir

 

 

Dead men in the mud of
Flanders—The view from
the Candian lines at
Courcelette, October
1916. German trenches
were often as close as 35
metres away...but kept
seperate by walls of
barbed wire, craters,
landmines and booby
traps.

Public Archives of Canada
Photo

At the Battle of Vimy
Ridge, April 9th, 1917,
Herbert Kearse served
with the 10th Battalion,
which was a unit in the
Canadian Ist Division.
The 10th was in the first
wave of the attack, and
was charged with
covering the right flank
of the Canadian Corps.

 

14 October 291996 The Other Press