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LYDFORD, DEVONSHIRE, UK
The Dartmoor Village of National Historical Importance http://www.lydford.co.uk in operation since 1999 at no cost to public funds. |
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1894-1918 Captain Hunter died in military action in France on the 25th March 1918. |
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1914 Aug 12th - Nigel at "Gelnholme" received wire from RMA Woolwich recalling him - gazetted 2nd Lieut. Royal Engineers from that date. Retreat from Mons: Lt. N.D.R. Hunter reported wounded in 10 Nov 1914 report. 1915 12th to Rouen, 13th Abbeville, 20th Boulogne, 21st Bailleul, attached to 57th Field Company RE, 3rd Div. Feb 22nd: north-east to Kemmel, 23rd, north to Dickebusch [modern Dikkebus] where billeted in former butcher's shop. (March – Battle of Neuve Chapelle to the south of him.) |
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1915 April 6th 1915 - Marched to Lacre – billeted there. Attached to North Midland Division. April 14th - Visited Basset [Capt. A.B. Hearle, Heavy Artillery Brgde, brother-in-law] at 1st Warwicks. Rode 20 miles.[22 Apr- 25 May Second Battle of Ypres: Germans try to close the salient] May 1st : Fired on from Spanbrock. 4th got rather close – doubled 10 yds to get under hedge – 2 more put in – got 3 or 4 more while out of sight behind hedge. Got to Willows & into half dug communications trench. More shots. Came to Vierstrael Road – found usual path wired up – got over and followed cross-country roads. Passed in front of batteries firing – premature burst 50 yds from gun: shrapnel shrieked past about 50 yds away. Got in 6.30pm. June 6th - Rode to Nieppe to see Basset. Rode 30 miles. June 20th - Company moved to near Vlamertinghe [3 miles west of Ypres] June 22nd - Rode to Zillebeke [2 miles south east of Ypres] – salvo of whiz-bangs! June 26th - Rode over to Ypres to find billets. Chose convent in rue de Lille. June 27th - Moved to Ypres (Promoted From 2nd Lt to full Lt.) June 28th - Off to Bologne on leave June 29th - To Torquay and arrived at Brightstone (only caught boat by 3 mins at Boulogne at 4.30pm – reached London 9pm – to Gwinnie's [Guinevere Adams, cousin on his mother's side]– caught midnight train to Torquay – arrived 8am. Saw Grannie [Julia Hunter who died that November, aged 88] & Aunts [unmarried – Madge and Zoe Hunter] – to Bridestone at 12.45 arrived 4pm). June 30th - To Oakhampton with Father – round of golf – lunched at White Hart with him, mother & Nora [sister, Mrs Hearle, whose husband serving in the RA] ..Back to Bridestone to tea. Strolled by the Lyd and along Widgery Tor – found some stag moss. Strolled about 2 hours with Gyp [dog]. July 1st - Walked down to Lydford with Mother & saw Thorpe – tennis in afternoon at Bridge House with Nora, McEwings [?] & Thorpe. July 2nd - Holy Communion 8am at Lydford church with Father, Mother & Nora. Saw the baby [Nora's first-born, Duncan Hearle]. July 3rd - Up at 4am, breakfasted at 4.30. Motored with Nora to Exeter at 5am – Left for Waterloo 7am. Gwinnie met me and lunched at Piccadilly. Caught 2pm. Left Folkestone 4pm – arrived Boulogne 6pm. Left Boulogne 9pm. Arrived billets 7am July 4th . . July 10th 1915 - Attached to 49th Division (Gen. Plumer's 2nd Army) Left billets near Vlamertinghe at 8am. Got into trenches near Elverdinghe 11am, about 4 miles behind the front line. Rode down to Brigade Headquarters with Major Turner at 1.30pm. Went with Turner alone up the Canal Communications trench to the far end. Could only get into the extreme left hand front trench – made two attempts to get to the front line but unsuccessful – got a salvo of 4 big crumps [shells] about 10 yards away while going up the Canal Communication trenches – a lot of promiscuous crumping going on – corpses still lying about in the communications trenches. In second attempt to reach front line we went up a sort of rabbit scraping of a trench which had been blown in in several places – in 3 places we crawled and in the last 3 we ran – got into old German front line trench, never seen a trench so knocked about – absolutely pulverized – succession of crump holes – had to crawl most of the way, over corpses in some places. Saw the first German I have seen since coming out – 2 or 3 German corpses, within a few yards of each other and a lot more ahead – also some English. Suddenly got a salvo of whiz-bangs not more than 5 yards ahead – got back and lay under parapet (not more than 1'6" high in some places – 8 more whiz-bangs not more than 10 yards away – searched away from us but luckily didn't switch round our way. Lay doggo for 20 minutes (5pm – 5.20pm) then decided to try & pass on as we knew we should get shot at on our way back, having to get right on top of the ground in 3 places. Couldn't push on as trench was level with the ground besides being foul. So turned back the way we came – got down the trench as far as the top of the communication trench – 1st run about 5 yards, Turner leading – both got caught in a bit of barbed wire – first shot hit the ground just between us. Got into the trench and crouched down, it being only 2'6" deep and 1'6" wide – had two more runs. Sniper got in a shot each time but just missed. Then we had to crawl in three places for 3 or 4 yards, finally getting back to support trench. Tried another way up to the front line but found it no good after a short distance. Got back along support trench which was so crowded with men that there was hardly room to put one's foot down. Several corpses lying on the parapets – pretty continuous whiz-banging going on – returned along the canal communication. Some crumping. Crossed bridge 6D & walked back to Pioneer Farm, passing Brigade HQ which was being shelled as we passed. Turner got hit by a piece first bounce but no damage done. Rode back to billets, getting in at 7pm. Slept in bivouac in garden. July 13th - Went along Westbank of the canal with the Major right up to the trench – came back along canal. Stopped for a drink at HQ 4th Y & L at 7.30pm. Hadn't been there 3 minutes when shelling started: Germans started gas attack & heavy bombardment of canal & front line. Sat in dug-outs with gas-helmets on from 7.30pm to 8.30 pm. Gas cleared off a bit. Then rifle fire commenced but not very much of it – Supporting troops lined canal bank. Germans got into one of our trenches but we drove them out somewhere between 9pm to 10.30pm. Went up to HQ with Major at about 10.30pm and turned in at 11pm. July 27th - Rode down at 7.45pm & met infantry at Solferins Farm. Crossed canal by 6E as 6D again smashed up. Found Canal Communication trench crumped in about a dozen places – picked up 2 live 6" howitzer shells in the trench – sappers repaired trench and laid a few boards. Infantry worked a communication trench called Well-gate – marked out a new entrance for 5D from canal trench – two whiz-bangs at us – second only just over when we were in the open making our new bit of trench – could only see a blinding flash and felt a bit dazed for a few seconds. Moved off and worked on canal trench for a short time. Then came back at 2.15am. Got back here about 3.15am & to bed about 4am. July 31st - Up at 11am. Round to Bgde, now in Chateau des Trois Tours at 2pm. Biked to camp to see about Corduroy road – round again with the Major about 6pm to 8pm to look for Bgde dug- outs. Decided on tunnel near 6Y.Down to Jalana at 8.30pm – sent the working parties off. Got party at 10.15 for tunnel. They filled sandbags and knocked off at 1.30am. A lot of crumping going on near Wellgate about midnight. Back at 3am. Aug 11th - Up at 8.30am. Push-biked down to old Brigade HQ with Sgts Lupp & Williams at 10.15am Walked through Jalana down to 6X. Looked at new trench to be dug near Jalana – went down to M's bridge & looked at it. On the way back they were shelling the farm behind Pioneer Farm on both sides of the road, so we waited and timed the shelling, & then push- biked past in the interval which was about 3 minutes – got several direct hits on the farm raising clouds of brick dust, another knocked a gate pillar into the road and one sent up a fountain out of the pond – got back to camp about at 1pm. Reading in deck chairs about 4pm when they suddenly shelled the wood with 59 shrapnel all bursting in the same line about level with us & 100 yards to the left – so did not move xx they had put in about 6 – thought they might possibly search a bit so moved into the trench which was in course of construction – burst 3 or 4 more directly over us. Rode down at 8.30pm to Solferines. Walked down to Jalana & started section on trench – walked over to new bridge about 6E & found it had been hit in the centre – very little damage done. Put planks straight & returned to section. Pretty quiet night, when suddenly a machine gun opened fire somewhere and bullets chopping just along the line of the trench which we were digging. Luckily could get about a foot of cover. Lay flat for about 3 minutes while they put in about 150 – 200 rounds, traversed along us – continuous swish-swish-swish. Knocked off work for 2 or 3 mins. No more machine gun fire, though uneasily expected it – this was about 11.30pm. Escaped without casualties. Continued work & knocked off at 2am. Turned in about 3.45am. Aug 13th - Up at 4.30am. Breakfast at 5am. Started out with 17 of Section at 5.30am. Got on to the work at 7.15, spoking out bridge.. Started crumping the West end of 6C at 8am. Put in 6" crumps every 3 minutes – knocked off work after 3 had fallen about 80' away. Resumed at 8.20 - put in one more at 8.25 -pm continued work as no more followed. Finished spoking at 10.45. Knocked off at 11.30. Took level with Nesbit to get required height of bridge. Started back at 12.15pm. Back at 1pm. Found C-in-c at back billet. No officers about so went up and he shook hands and he chatted 2 or 3 minutes, inquired about work, whether we had had a strenuous time, how long I'd been out, my name, how long I'd been in the service, time at the Shop [RMA Woolwich] and informed me he was the C-in-C. I asked him if he would have anything but he refused and rode off. Walked over to the store at 6pm – no timber available for railway bridge so work hung up.
Nov 8th 1915 - Went out at 4.30pm – started Cpl Wardill & sappers, with Peck & sappers finishing the breastwork – went with Sgt Coke to see if Turner had worked out the new breastwork round the bombing post. Turner had not come up. Machine gun turned on to us just as we got into the bit of trench which had been made into a bombing post. Waited there about 5 minutes when we saw Turner approaching - got out with Sgt Coke and went towards them. I turned towards Coke and was going to say something having my back to the German trenches about 100 ft away when I got a bullet through the right thigh, from back to front – in passing out the bullet struck trigger guard of my gun which was in the right hand pocket of my British Warm and smashed it – sensation of a tearing blow and of a cauterization. Subsided to the ground. Coke fetched Turner, Nesbit & Sgt Leach – Nesbitt put on a field dressing – bled a moderate amount. Hit at 7pm. Carried on a stretcher to where Section was working. Gave Coke & Wardill instructions as to carrying on. Pearce and Hodgkinson took the stretcher to the railhead. Cpl Wardill tried to find the way but they lost it two or three times – Four sappers carried me down to the railway and Cpl Roads offered to come to take charge of the party – put the stretcher on a truck which we found discarded near Colne Valley. Had to off-load the stretcher & derail the truck 4 or 5 times for passing trucks full of stores – went to Hull's Farm. Dressed there. Very nice clean wounds, bullet having missed everything of importance. Poor devil there with about two inches out of his head – reached Hull's Farm a little before 9pm – got to 2nd VR Field Amb. By 11pm. Wound dressed, inoculated for tetanus in the back. Nov 9th - Hill arrived next morning with my kit & said Lce-Cpl Roads had been killed on his way back with the stretcher party – shot through the heart. I had remarked to him just before how fortunate the Section had been in having no one killed since I had come out in February and I hoped they would keep up their lucky record. Also told him he could ride my horse back. [Lnce Cpl Richard Coles Roads RE from Easington, Bucks, died 8 Nov 1915 aged 22. buried Duhallows ADS cemetery.] Had a fresh dressing put on about 11am. Feeling very comfortable. Hope this is going to get me a month or two's leave at any rate . . 1916 May 4th 1916 - Arrived noon at le Havre. Spent day at the camps. May 6th 1916 - Travelled via Rouen, Boulogne, Calais to Hazerbrouck. Detrained at Steenbecque. May 7th - Marched at 2.30am to billets near Strazeche (?). May 8th - Smoke helmet test – walked through trench with gas in it. May 9th - Went down to Armentieres. May 16th - Got into billets at Armentieres (52 Rue de Flandre) June 5th - Out at 9am working on Gap 6. Left Section working with infantry party & went to reconnoitre new trench to be made joining up High Command trench to 9 3S. On the way back through 9 3 & Gap 3 met Cpl Pratt very agitated who said Day had been hit. Went on and found Day with G.R.E and another Colonel – he'd been hit in the back of the head & G.R.E was for leaving him alone as he was done for, but sapper Lee and I tied him up as best we could with 3 or 4 field dressings & a shell dressing and got him carried up Gap C towards 96 trench. MO then came up so we put him down and he died in about half an hour – unconscious from the moment he was hit. So we carried him into Long Avenue & shall take him down to the cemetery tonight. He hadn't a tin helmet on, but it wouldn't have saved him. Still it means we'll all be made to wear the wretched thing now. Hit about 1pm. Got back to billets at 3pm. [Capt. Walter Evan Day RE from Bromley, Kent died 5 June 1916 aged 31. buried Tancrez Farm cemetery, S of Ypres.] June 24th - On Border Avenue during the morning – shelling Lawrence Farm again with 15pn shells – one passed a few feet above my head and landed 20 yds beyond – a dud luckily as it fell pretty close to a couple of infantry. Bicycled back at noon – Bosch were putting 4.2 and 6 inch into Le bizet [N.E. Armentieres] as I came through. I must have been through Le bizet a hundred times but today is the first time I'd encountered any shelling there: One struck the road about 100 yds ahead round the corner and the air was full of brick dust and smoke as I passed. The next shell struck the other side of the house I was passing, and by the time the next came I had got by. I was settling into bed about 11.20pm when we were hauled out by message from Brigade & went up to xx198 to shore up parapet which had been rather badly blown in by "Minnies" – holes about 15 ft across & 7 ft deep. Went on ahead to reconnoitre damage. Section came up at 1.30am. Got to work 1.45am and had to knock off owing to day breaking at 3.15am. Expected some trouble but things turned out to be pretty quiet & we didn't have any casualties. Turned in about 4.30am. July 14th - Out on Ash Lane for short time in the morning. Went out with an infantry party of 100 in the evening – 18 K.R.R.s who worked very well, a refreshing change from the average of infantry working parties who mostly seem to regard the work as fatigues. The night was delightful with a full moon lighting everything up pretty clearly. Strolled up the road behind 132 & the Winter French past some very ruined buildings and a pond, all of which showed up pretty effectively in the soft moonlight, the black torn trees standing out in silhouette against the moon while the pond sent back a blurred image of the scene, being rippled by the motion of insects on the surface, though there was no wind. The Bosch also seemed sensible of the beauty of the night, as he didn't trouble to disturb it, except occasionally, with the solitary crack of a rifle or the rattle of his machine guns. Knocked off work at 2am & turned into bed about 3.30am. July 22nd-24th - Out from 2pm to 4pm – from 9am to 4pm working on Ash Lane. I'm quite tired of these communication trenches & getting rather fed up generally these days. There's so little to relate in the way of events, & such sameness in those, that it scarcely seems worth the while to continue this diary – started to read a week or two ago, but am feeling too sleepy to go on with it these days. Went out from 9pm to 11.30pm: none of my section out so I only stayed long enough to get the infantry well started. As I was walking back alone, a machine gun turned on all around where I was for about 20 seconds or so – felt very much inclined to lie down but managed not to. Aug 5th - Up at 2.30pm. out to 97 at 8.30pm. Back at midnight. A beautiful sunset: gold & rose turning to red. The eastern sky being a mixture of grayish blue and mauve from the reflections – a little narrow island of dark brown cloud in the middle of the sea of gold red – the black silhouettes of the trees stamped on the glowing background of the sky, the ponds looking as if they were on fire, and yet soft & limpid, surrounded by black banks – rose coloured jewels set in black stones. The fields and houses seemed permeated with a haze of golden light. Enough of this – its 12.15am!
Sep 5th 1916 - Up at 4am Started out at 5.20 & marched to C.T. Hare Lane till Marmetz & Mountauban – got on to the work at 7am making deep dug-outs for runners every 500ft off C.T. Made some shelter slots and funk holes as well from 11am to 12.15pm. Bosche shelled heavily with 8" crumps – things came pretty close: got within 15yds of the Section on both sides of the trench, which was hit in places. When walking across the open, one burst 15 yds away from me – I lay flat for the explosion & then got up & walked on a while. The stuff poured down & thudded into the ground – came down mostly in two lots – earth clods first, then 10 secs later bits of metal. One or two duds landed within 20 yards or so. Saw the shell about 20ft up in the air in two cases – one was a dud – no casualties in Section, but Gunners near by lost 15 men. About 9am I saw one of our aeroplanes brought down beyond Devil's Wood by 3 Bosche planes. Went up to near edge of Devil's Wood with Smith and found everything very knocked about. Some British corpses lying about. Shells and bombs, drums of S.A.A etc lie about all over the country. Knocked off at 1.15pm & got back at 3.15pm. Sept 9th - No parties out in the morning. Went out at 2pm up to dug-out near Longueval. Thwaites came along at 4.30 and we started out to tape C.T. Back at 4.45 as Bosche counter-attack started round about Ginchy, so we decided not to tape any further. We stood and watched the shrapnel barrage on the hill beyond Waterloo Farm – quite a fine sight. One couldn't see more than 700 yds or so owing to thick fog all around. Our guns made a deafening row and the white puffs of shrapnel & continuous flashes on the edge of the fog bank, then the Bosche crumps searching in rows beyond the ridge, forming a wall of black smoke. While we were watching this, a 6" shrapnel nearly got us – couldn't hear it coming. In fact the noise was so great that a little later I saw an 8" crump burst in Longueval not more than 150 yds off and couldn't hear it! They were still putting this stuff within 100 yds or so when I came away at 6.30pm – walked back across the country& got in at 8pm. G.R.E. Perkins & the doctor came in to dinner. We drank 'bubbly' to Thwaites' health, whose birthday it was. Thwaites' dog "Shrapnel" nearly justified his name by getting some of it into him today, and I expect he will soon! Turned in about 10.30pm. Sept 10th - Up at5am. Rode out to the shrine behind Longueval at 6am. Between 7 & 10.30 I taped out some 600yds of trench, the continuation of "Hare Lane" past Longueval church down the hill to Devil's Farm. Steered the trench clear of corpses, as far as I could see them – one finds hands, feet heads & other 'fragments from France' all over the place. Got back to lunch at 1pm – had a hot bath in the afternoon. Sept 11th-12th - Up at 5am. Went out at 6am, riding up to Montauban[-de-Picardie]. Took sapper Cookhill up to beyond Longueval church & taped out the 100 yds that was lacking- a clear day and we were in full view but nothing happened as we crouched about from crump-hole to crump-hole. Got back at 1pm to learn that the section had to go on a special stunt that night: Tape arrived at the last minute & we started at 5.30pm, going to Carlton trench to pick up Infantry 20th D.L.I. who were later still – got parties detailed first before dark – guide took us down Milk Lane and round by Chesney Walk to Apple Street or some trench of that sort. As we were going along the top, and keeping behind A coy, the covering party who were in the trench, a lot of star-shells, followed by green and red lights went up on the left. Then there was some rifle and MG fire, followed after 20 minutes by 8 inch crumps in some profusion. When the crumps got pretty close, Struthers, one of the DLI officers (actually of the 10th btn Cameronians), and I got C Coy into the trench in rear of A Coy. Suddenly word came down through A Coy "About turn", "Go Back" etc. and they all started scurrying back. We tried to stop them but without much effort. So I got out and ran along to the front to see if I could find Cpt MacNicholls who was in charge of the whole party of infantry. Then things got rather warm. I felt the wind of two 8in crumps before they burst. I dare say they weren't more than 10 or 15 yds away and others were bursting in all directions. So I jumped into the trench and made my way back to Struthers. The whole trench was packed tight with men, who were unable to move either way. So we sat down and told them to stop where they were. However they still endeavoured to get along back. This was about 9.45pm or so. It was evident that they couldn't be got forward until the crumping stopped, and since there was no hurry and very few crumps about 200 yds back, we decided to get them back a bit. So we told them to get along back up the trench. The men in front could not be made to budge, so I got out & walked along the top & persuaded them to get a move on. Struthers and I then went up the trench to see that no one was left behind and came across a party who said there was no-one behind them. However, as we knew Capt. M. was in front, or had been, we went on further, but found no signs of anyone. So we turned back and looked for him among the men further back. He wasn't there so we collected the men and went forward again. Thwaites turned up about this time, the party of infantry he was bringing up having failed to turn up or got lost. Our guides professed total ignorance of their whereabouts. So we started off following the line of the trench & the infantry followed after up the trench itself. We could see Devil's wood plainly on our right – in fact there was a full moon with only light clouds in the sky & consequently things were pretty clear. Presently we came on Capt. M. with some of his covering party and the M.G. people. He had tried to get on past the crumping but had been stopped by the trench being blown in. He had not given any orders to turn back. Some fool had got panicked of course, as usual the cry had got passed down & the result was that the parties that had been previously detailed, and the covering working parties themselves, were hopelessly messed up, and inextricably so, because the men had now got the wind up and scarcely knew whether they were covering party or working party. Thwaites and I went on to find the way. At one point he thought we had already crossed the Flers road, but I was sure we hadn't. So we got the map out but he was not convinced. However we went on and presently came to some of the & the support trench which used to be the front line til the 55th Div dug an advanced line in the same manner as we were about to do. They didn't know where they were or what was the way to the front trench. So I left Thwaites and went on alone to scout around. I came on a small party of men under Weyman – I'd previously passed Scott in same trench with his Lewis gunners – I suggested to W. he should come along with his party. Presently we saw a trench in front of us with some people in it. We stood for a moment wondering whether it might not be the Bosch trench because some of our own 4.5s & whiz-bangs were falling just near and behind it. Then some shells came over from the front & dropped just behind us, and we knew the Bosch would not shell his own trench, whatever our gunners might do. So we walked on and found it was our own front line & were told that Tea Trench was on the left and Flers road was on the right. So I knew we had come to the right spot & left Weyman and his party there and went back to find Thwaites & the rest of the infantry. A Bosch 4.2 dropped 12 or 15 ft in front of me & I walked on through it. Some more 4.2s came along – they're awkward things because they sound as if they were going to drop a long way off and then suddenly swish down on top of you. I thought one was coming right on top of me and jumped hastily into the trench – the shell fell a good way away and I think that was the last bit of nerves I had that night. Well, we got the party up & I found Tea Trench and Flers road after some hunting about. The covering party made a start out and then came in again. We got them out again and I put 3 150x tapes & started the first work parties, at the same time moving the covering party further forward. As I came round by way of the first two parties to bring up the fourth, I saw the covering party running back and found the working parties had gone back, & this because there were some pipsqueaks and 4.2s dropping about. The covering party was got out again but was of no use as they just got right down in the largest shell holes they could find. The working parties started again after a fashion, but the infantry vanished back into the front line trench & simply wouldn't be got out. Finally I got about 60 of them out along a tape, Struthers helping to collect some. MacNicoll remained in the front trench & couldn't or didn't get anyone out on to the job. As I was laying out the front tape, sniping started from the bombing trench by Tea trench. I saw Struthers and an infantryman coming towards me. I crouched down myself when a flare went up and knew we had been seen. It was quire clear and not more than 75 to 100 yds to the Bosch trench. Struthers and his man stood still when the flare went up & the man was hit and fell to the ground. I went up to them. Another flare went up. I said to Struthers "You take his legs and I'll take his head and let's put him in this crump hole" – a small hole a few feet away & some 6' wide by 2'6" deep. I repeated this to S. three or four times and then he bent down to pick up the man's legs, when he himself was hit and fell too. So I seized the man by the shoulders and dragged him into the crump hole while Struthers managed to get in by himself at the same time. I first tied the man up – he was wounded in the cheek about an inch under the right eye, and then helped S to tie himself up. He was rather badly hit. Machine gun fire and sniping continued at intervals all night about the spot. I went and got a stretcher which took a long time to find & then took it with another man back to the crump-hole which I had a little difficulty finding again. We got S. onto the stretcher and carried him back behind the front line; the other man being able to walk. We rested at intervals in crump holes, there being a fair amount of fire. I left Struthers with some men to see to him and went out again, managing with great difficulty to collect a few men. They all had come in again. I used up all my vocabulary of abuse, expostulation and finally entreaty, but without getting more than a few men. The rest huddled together and didn't take any notice of anything. Finally about 60 were got out on the tape, with the sappers who mostly behaved well. On going up the tape to where I'd left Sgt. Cornfield's party, I found them at work, but Sgt Cornfield and Sapper Booth had been hit by rifle and MG fire. I went back to get a stretcher for Sgt. C. – this was about 2am – Struthers was hit about 1am & we had got up to the front line about 11pm. I saw Thwaites and told him of the casualties and that McN said he couldn't get hold of his men & Thwaites said we'd better go on 'til 4am as previously arranged. He then went off to see Glover's party who, by the way, our covering party mistook for Bosch about half an hour before til I went over and found they were the Kents. I got back to Cornfield about 2.30am with a stretcher. We put him on the stretcher and Sgt Sykes, a good chap, of the D.L.I. took the rear while another infantryman took the front left handle and I took the right handle. Directly we picked him up a MG turned on us. We went a few yards when Cornfield cried out – he'd been hit again poor chap, this time in the foot. We got a few more yards when I was hit in the hand. We then put the stretcher down in a large shell hole under cover and I tied up my hand while we rested. We started off again & got a few yards when the man on my left was hit in the head and dropped the stretcher, rolling on the ground and crying out. Sgt Cornfield fell off the stretcher when it was dropped and we got him on again & I pushed the man who was hit off the stretcher handles and took hold of them myself, telling the other at the back to pick the stretcher up. I had to shout at him several times. The MG was playing round us all the time and they were dazed. However he picked up the near end in time and we all three staggered with the stretcher into a crump hole close by the man who was hit in the head helping as he found he wasn't badly hit. I then got out and found by this time we were close to the front trench. So I got one of the men there to give a hand & they carried the stretcher over & behind the front trench where I left Cornfield with some men to see to him and tie up his foot & went back to the job. As I was talking to Sgt Sykes a little later, a bullet struck a pick just between us. We knocked off at 4am – carried Sgt. Cornfiield back along the Flers road, through Longueval – didn't get him down to the dressing station near the quarry til 6am. I went on & got a cycle stretcher sent back to relieve the four sappers carrying him, who in addition to their night work, had walked some 25 miles that day. We only had two sapper casualties, Cornfield & Booth, but the infantry had one officer, Struthers, and about 12 or 15 men, I think, during the night. Two infantry corporals were hit while tying up Sgt. Cornfield. The M.O. at the Quarry said Cornfield had had a narrow squeak: He was hit in the right arm, the stomach and the right foot. I had my hand dressed there – just a flesh wound in and out through the base of the right thumb – walked home and got in at 8am, stopping at the dressing station near Mametz to try and get an anti-tetanus injection, but they couldn't do it there. Cameron was there, who was billeting officer with me at Eugines – he gave me two cups of tea which I enjoyed very much, having had nothing but two pieces of chocolate since 5pm the previous afternoon. At noon I rode to Becordit with 139th Fwd Ambulance & got the injection & rode back. In the afternoon I rode over with Smith to the doctor at Albert to look over the place. The church had been knocked about, the curious thing being the statue of the Virgin & Child which had been knocked over & now hangs straight out from the top of the church. Back at 5pm. Dined with the 228th Coy. Went to bed at 9.30pm but couldn't sleep until 11.30 owing to the itching caused by the anti-tetanus serum. [2nd Lt Andrew Struthers died 14 Sept 1916 aged 21. buried Contalmaison cemetery, NE of Albert.] Sept 13th - Up at 9.30am. Section not working today, only making screens. Thwaites told me in the afternoon that he had put my name in for a decoration. Sept 16th - Up at 5.30am. on roads from 6.30 to 9am. Got a miserable sore throat. Paraded about 6.30pm. Langdale turned up all right in the morning as he had one casualty – Glover had none. 228 Coy lost about 25 men owing to bad luck. We paraded – Glover's section & mine of 233rd, Kenyon's of 228, Roberts of 237, under Thwaites and Moore and marched up to Green Dump, drawing sandbags, 25 per man. Tools came on pack ponies, two ponies being required per section. We proceeded through Devil's Wood by the Flers road. The roads have been made wonderfully quickly and well. The weather is being very fortunately fine. Left the ponies on the Flers road. Thwaites went on to find Maj. Otter c/c of troops holding Flers. We went on to Sunken road and waited there until about 9.15pm. Marched up another yds or so to line through Box & Cox and Hogs Head strong points – about 300yds in advance of Flers village. Found the infantry in nearly-dug trenches. Worked at improving and connecting up these. Had a very quiet night: one alarm of a counter-attack at 2am so we stood to from 1.30 to 2.30am but nothing happened. The Anzacs were just on our left in Box & Cox. Spent all the night collecting and seeing to wounded. Pretty scandalous state of affairs: men with broken legs lying out in crump- holes for 48 hours & infantry too apathetic to move them to the aide post 200 yds away. Got five men in altogether, all we could find. Thwaites put two men's legs in splints. On way back at 4am we picked up as many wounded as we could carry on stretchers and waterproof sheets. Took back 15 in all, I believe. At one place there had been an aid post & the M.O. had been killed & the stretcher bearers & orderlies had gone away, and some dozen men were lying wounded – been there two days, some of them nothing to eat or drink, wet with rain the night before, awfully cold that night. I'd heard there was an officer wounded and asked for him. They said the officer had been taken away with some other men by the sappers just a short time before – one or two cried to be taken away. It was difficult to know what to do with them all. I said I'd try to get them all away but knew I couldn't before daylight. I asked again if there wasn't an officer there. Then a man spoke up and said he was an officer, that he hadn't said anything when the other parties came through because there were some worse hit than he was. He was hit in the stomach he said & said he couldn't eat or drink anything and had been there since 9am, i.e. 20 hours. I gave one or two of them brandy & got a sheet or two to put over them. Then Thwaites, Glover & Lnce Cpl Westell came up and together we carried Jacobs, the wounded officer of the 15th D.L.I. down to near the Flers road & there found some stretcher bearers of his own regiment. At the road fork we came on a wheeled stretcher of the 10th East Yorks & took that. The last I saw of J. he was looking better & hope he gets through all right. As we were coming to the top of the ridge some whiz-bangs dropped around – wondered what would happen if one of us were hit. It must be pretty rotten going into an attack knowing that if you aren't killed & only slightly wounded, you're going to be left in considerable pain to die in all probability of exposure & exhaustion. The little brandy flask came in useful 6 or 7 times. Glad I took it. Got in to Montauban at 7am, carrying two rifles of men who carried wounded. Had some breakfast & then got into my valise – in pyjamas – a relief! I slept til 1.30pm when I was woke up as we had to parade at 3.30 & go back to Fricourt billet [East of Albert]. Back to Fricourt 5pm. Went over to try to find Richard who is with 6th D.C.L.I., 14th Div, but they had just moved. Met Anderson on the way down from Montauban & Reynolds near Devil's Wood on the previous evening. Oct 5th & 6th 1916 - Went out at 4.30 with Thwaites & nos 2 + 3 Sections – up to Abbey Road through Fish Ally. Picked up 200 infantry there at 7pm. It was 8.30 before we got them on the move – a pretty hopeless crowd – got them up Goose Ally by a kind of sheep dog process. Halted three times I went back to the rear to see that all were closed up – we started on the outside of the trench following it along but then we had to halt and wait about ¼ hour for the rear to close up, though we had only gone a matter of some 400 yards from the point we started at – if a man loses sight of the man in front of him, even if its only round a traverse – he just sits down and says he's lost. Well, we eventually got to the top of Goose Ally. According to the map this should have been our starting point for the advanced trench we were going to lay out. I halted the party and went some 400x up the front line to the right, having found out that the map was wrong and led us too much to the left. I then returned along the trench which was very narrow and muddy and had two or three dead Bosche lying in the bottom and several more on the parapets, & found Thwaites and explained the situation. So we then left the infantry with the sappers and taking 6 sappers with us, we both went along the trench to the right – or rather we started outside following the line of the trench – and got rather lost, very nearly, as I afterwards discovered, crossing our front line, taking it for the support line, and walking over to the Bosche lines. Finally we got into the front trench again fetched up at B coy 15th Hants HQ who were relieving C coy who had been up 4-5 hours. The O.C. C coy told us that he had a small scrap with the Bosche the afternoon of the day before and knew for a fact they were occupying the first support trench which we had been told was occupied by us, and were not more than 60 yards away. It appeared the part we were to start digging our advanced trench was some 100 yards behind the Bosche lines! So it was a case of "No bon" and we moved further along the trench to the right, or East, to the next company. There were gaps of 200 to 300 yards between companies. We went on from one company to another, through the Hants to the Fusiliers, and finally came to the left of the advanced trench which the 228 coy had dug two nights previously. We went right along it, down the sunken road leading from Factory Corner to Ligny-Thille. There were two strong points which were garrisoned. These were connected up by some 250 yards of partially dug trench which was unoccupied. We found the tape leading to the West which marked the beginning of the fresh line we were to dig and decided to get the infantry onto this before daylight if possible, and let them do what they could. It was now 3.15am. We had sent the sappers back to guide up the infantry party – I left Thwaites and went back alone along the trench to see what happened to the party. On the way I stopped to talk to the wounded German we had come across in the trenches. He said he had been lying there since about 8 days ago with a broken leg. He was a Prussian. I told him I'd get him carried back in a couple of hours and gave him some chocolate. Unfortunately I was unable to do so afterwards but I told the infantry about him. If we go up again, I'll have a look for him. I got out of the trench and went along the top for some way as it was better going. But the trenches wind about so that one always gets lost – I found myself losing my direction and came upon a digging party who couldn't tell me anything, so I struck out and found the trench again. Got into it and made my way right along to where D coy HQ were, where I'd left the infantry and sappers. Here I found Sgt Rice with a few sappers: the infantry, he told me, had been taken away by their officers about 1½ hours after Thwaites and I had gone, i.e. about 12.30am. Some of the sappers had gone back with them. By this time it was 4.15am so I sent Rice on the back along Goose Alley and told him to pick up any others he overtook & get them home – I myself took Cpl Ibbets on & Cpl Fletcher of no 1 Section went along behind the front trenches, on the top, to get back to Thwaites and tell him what had happened. We went along keeping behind the front line & presently came to a trench down which some infantry were going. They said it was Turk lane – a C.T. running back to the rear. So I crossed over this & then struck up half left to get into touch with the front line and follow it along as before. We went on and on and presently a flare went up – then rifle fire started. We very soon discovered we were being fired at by several rifles. We lay down. I got into a small shell- hole and Ibbetson crawled in too. Fletcher was just outside – I told them it was our own people firing at us and cursed them heartily for doing so. This went on for about three or four minutes – it was about quarter to five and just beginning to get light. It was quite evident we had gone into No Mans land unawares. The "Turk Lane" of that infantry party must have been the front line. I had no fancy for staying out in a crump hole in No Man's land all day, so I told the two men to stay there and I would go in myself to tell our people it was us they were firing at and having stopped them, come back and bring them in. So I got up and started to walk towards our trench. I thought that one man wouldn't be shot at by our own people, whilst they might think three men were a Bosche bombing party. The firing started again, so I shouted out as loud as I could "Don't Shoot! I'm R.E., Royal Engineers. Stop firing, you fools. I'm English!" and so on, all the time walking towards them – The firing stopped when I shouted at them and there was a few seconds silence – when I wasn't more than 20 yards or so off, a babble arose from the trench and suddenly I heard quite clearly "Ja, ja" and someone shouted "Komm hindurch!" or something of that sort. Anyway, I caught the "hindurch" all right and jumped into a shell hole not 10 yards from the Bosche! I had walked almost into their trench! I saw about 6 men head and shoulders above the parapet as I jumped into the shell-hole. I got my revolver out and cocked it. While doing that it flashed through my mind that if I waited a second in that shell-hole I should either be bombed or they would come and bag me. Besides which it would be daylight in a few minutes. So I'd no sooner jumped in and pulled my gun out, than I hopped out again and ran like a hare! I thought before that I was dead tired and had a groggy knee, but, by God, I found I wasn't and I hadn't! I guess I got about 20 yards before they started firing at me – then I started swerving as I ran back. A machine gun started from somewhere and when I was back somewhere near where I'd left the two men, I dropped for the second time into a shell-hole for a few moments rest half way, then scooted off again. I crawled about and called out softly for Ibbetson but didn't get any answer. Presently I saw someone crawling a few yards away. I thought it might possibly be a Bosche who had the guts to come out after me, or a Bosche patrol getting back to their trenches, so I challenged him with my gun ready. It turned out to be Cpl Fletcher. He said Ibbetson was making his way back and he thought I'd been hit and was crawling along to look for me. They had guessed what had happened by the shouting & firing, and Fletcher had seen me drop into the shell hole the first time and thought I'd been hit. We couldn't very well walk about looking for Ibbetson & it was no good crawling. Fletcher was sure he hadn't been hit & was getting back all right, so we walked or crawled in – I wasn't sure it was our own trench we were getting up to then. So I went ahead got into a crump hole and hailed them. The fools didn't answer for a minute and I really began to think we'd gone round in a circle to the Bosche line again. The tops of these tin hats all look alike, worse luck. However I got an answer of them eventually & we got in. We then called for Ibbetson. After some time saw him crawling in. Fletcher suddenly got the idea he was wounded and crawled out to him so I crawled out too. It was getting a bit light now. But he was quite alright & we all got into the trench. It was no good trying to get along to Thwaites and, being daylight & the trench not continuous so we came back the other way & watched a small bomb attack the Bosche made on a sap. We caught him on the top with a Lewis gun as he tried to get over the barricade. Walked back across country past Flers. – got a long back from Longuevue – got in at 9.15 am, a 17 hour shift! Slept from 10 to 4pm. 7th Oct - Up at 8am. Went out at 3pm to a sap dug-out in Abbey Rd. Left Sgt Rice & party there having started finishing off & tidying up the grave in which Langdale, Sgt Rogers and Lce Cpl Clarke are buried – got back at 7.30 pm. [Sgt F.J. Rogers died 4 Oct & buried AIF Burial ground, Flers] We made a small attack to get an advanced line this afternoon – the Bosche was barraging the other side of Goose Lane, but things were quiet around by Flers. 14th Oct - Rode over to CRE's near Buire to take over A/adjutant whilst Perkins is on leave. All went out for a ride in the afternoon along the Somme – splendid country for a ride & it seemed very pretty on the banks of the Somme after 6 weeks of Devil's Wood and such like places. - 20th Oct 1916 Nigel's MC award citation: "He showed the greatest determination when, with his section, assisting the infantry to construct advanced strong points under heavy shell fire. When his section sergeant was wounded he assisted by a corporal of the infantry to carry him to safety, both he and the corporal being wounded in doing so. The success of the night's work was largely due to his fine example." 25th Oct - Arrived in London – leave at last! To Torquay and then Glenholme, Oakhampton. [photo of him & his father taken there then] 
Leave over 5th November (his 22nd birthday) 1917 Jan 1917 - Took over as Adjutant R.E. 41st Division. G.R.E. Col. Stockley. May 31st - Gazetted acting rank of Captain with seniority ante-dated 29 Nov 1916. [Nigel is back in the Ypres area, attached to 41st Div., and Haig wants to relieve pressure on Ypres by mining & storming the Messines Ridge overlooking the Southern sector of the salient.] Jun 5 1917 - Pretty bored and discontented all through Feb and March. Made 5 abortive attempts to get a flight in a plane. Even thought for a few days seriously of becoming an observer! Then things began to speed up and on April 14th, so far as I remember, I started to get busy – became really energetic (!) working every night up to midnight and after with hardly any exception & worked all the day too, with no time off for meals. The last week it has been necessary to push on fast with the preparation of Battle Dumps of R G(?) stores and I have been taking working parties from 3am to 9am, getting up at 2.30am and 2am & riding hard down the overland route in the dawn. Only had 2 hours sleep last night, 3 the night before, and 2 the night before that. But I shall have been thoroughly well occupied the last 7 weeks and the time has gone well and I feel more contented – but it is getting a bit strenuous & I shan't be sorry when the "Push" comes off at last – it is expected to start on 7th so we are now at X day. And then a spot of leave – who knows? Heard on 31st that I have got acting rank of Captain with seniority ante-dated to 29th November 1916: Six months' back pay! Must really find time tonight to write home – it seems almost impossible to fit things in. June 7th – Zero Day. - Up at 2am and down to GHQ line to see show start at 3.10am. Just got there in time, being delayed by gas shells. Saw the St. Eloi mine go up – tremendous sight – regular volcano – flames about 100ft high – burnt for a good minute – 50 ton charge. July 26th - In the afternoon I walked from Westoutre to Ridge Wood & back. On July 27th I had a flight in a plane with Holmes who used to be at school with me. We went over Ypres and back to Dicrebasch (?) . On return put in application for R.F.C. July 28th - Took Atkins motor bike & rode to Oak Dumps & walked up on up Oaf Lane then across country to a point where our front line crossed the railway embankment. Returned by the Avenue & the line of transport support. In the afternoon I heard from the colonel that Dickman was shaken up having been slightly wounded & had Willis [2nd Lt A. Willis Highland Light Infantry.] killed next to him. So I offered to take his place, pointing out that it was my old section no. 2 who were going into the attack. The Colonel agreed, subject to Thwaites consent, which I obtained that evening. He had thought of sending no. 4 section under Roberts instead, but I persuaded him to let me go with no. 2. [see also Boyd's letter below ] July 29th - Went down with my batman & ? to the 233rd Coy. Went over to Bde HQ in the Bluff Tunnels with Thwaites in the afternoon and fixed matters up with him. July 30th - In camp all day- paraded at 8am as coy were moving to billets in Bois Carre at that hour – stopped 'til 10pm at Brasserie. [Opening bombardment of Third Battle of Ypres] July 31st - Reached assembly positions by 2am. Party got out of touch several times owing to the dark and shelling – lined up behind the 5th wave and got pipsqueaked at 3am so moved party further to the left. Unfortunately some got scattered – zero hour was at 3.50am and were glad when the show started. It was still pretty dark & we pushed forward a bit too quickly & when I started taping out a line from a point within 100 yards of the Railway Embankment, I found we were being fired at by MGs from the dug outs in the embankment which had not been mopped up. So I doubled off to the left about a couple of 100 yds and started my men digging on a tape there, turning the flank back for about 30 yards to face the dug outs in case the Bosche held out in them. Found party of 4th Queens – 2nd wave - & put them on to dig. Taped the line out some distance further North and then found parties of 16th Kents and 12th Durhams who had dug in before some concrete dug outs, which were holding them up with MGs & snipers. Owing to these points being held by the Bosche, it appeared to me that we should have to dig in and wire the line at night – the Bosche being only 200 to 300 yards away. So at 10am I withdrew my party and returned to billets in Bois Carre reporting to Bde HQ on the way down.* Aug 1st - Went back to Westoutre in the morning. But as no one else knew the ground I had to tape out with the 23rd coy in the evening, consolidate the Red Line I had started digging on July 31st. went ahead with Thwaites through a good deal of shelling. I then returned to I.M.P. Dumps to bring up the coy – a perfectly foul night. Got back at 6am wet through to the skin and dirtier than I've ever been before. Aug 2nd - Tramped straight back to Westoutre Aug 3rd - Note from Glover in the morning – decided to take his place as he was played out – went down with the car and fetched him back. Aug 4th - Colonel said if I remained Adjutant I could of course only go to 233rd Coy for a very few days at most. I had suggested that Glover should understudy me as Adjutant and he agreed that he would take him on as Adjutant when I left. So I resigned the Adjutancy and with it the Captaincy on August 4th & joined the 233rd Field Coy again as O.C. no. 2 section that evening. Got no sleep owing to mosquitoes. Aug 5th - Paraded at 3.30am – worked on I.M.P. Walk duckboard track. Aug 6th - Left camp 8pm, returned7am, Working on IMP Walk. Bosche put over a lot of gas shells & 4.2s & 7.7s I xxxx ed the party off twice for half an hour & on returning 3rd time to the work at about 3.30am Corpl Pratt was rather badly wounded & sapper Cockrie slightly wounded & a good deal shaken – helped to tie up Pratt and took him to R.A.P. no 1 and then went up to Fusilier Wood to mark out the line of I.M.P. Walk forward. Back to camp at 7am. [Cpl Walter Pratt of York d. 7 Aug 1917 aged 30, leaving wife, Florence. Buried Oak Dump cemetery] Aug 7th - Took up my section & attached infantry – total working strength when we got to the job was only 12! And a carrying party of of 80 infantry - & wired the front line across the gap about 130 yards long between the 24th and 41st Divs. Aug 8th - Out at 8pm to Transport Corner. Party scattered a bit & shelling on way up. No infantry carrying party turned up so, having only 16 men, one section having failed to arrive, I returned to camp at midnight. Aug 9th - Got carrying party of 80 men & took3 RE sections and attached infantry & started wiring & digging the new Red Line from Klein Zillebeke southwards. Owing to the darkness it was a hard job to find the point at which to start work, never having been there before. Knocked off a bit early having to be back in camps by 4am on account of attack being made at 4.30am by 24th Div Aug 10th . Sept 15th - Came out of the line Aug 14th – resting near St Omer. Back to Ridge Wood on Aug 30th. Anson left Sept 4th and took over command of the company. Moore arrived on 12th & Harris left on 14th. Am now acting 2nd in command 233rd Coy.
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