7Coy1914to1915

Date	Event Campaign
5 Aug 1914	First day of mobilization
6-9 Aug 1914	Mobilization proceeded normally except for horses required to complete, which could not be obtained until the 8th and the following day
10-18 Aug 1914	Company did Route Marches, Pontooning, etc
18 Aug 1914	Entrained at Shorncliffe at 10.35pm
19 Aug 1914	Reached Harrow on the Hill,detrained by 5am and marched to Stanmore Camp
20 Aug 1914	Route Marches, erecting structures for 10 Bde
21 Aug 1914	Entrained and left Harrow on the Hill Station at 10.25pm
22 Aug 1914	Arrived Southampton at 2.15am. Embarked SS Algerian and sailed at 8am. HQRE 4 DIV and HQ and 1 Section of Signal Company also onboard. Left England with full compliment of men but short of two horses owing to sickness enroute.The passage accross was smooth. Arrived at Havre at 6pm. Anchored off Havre lighthouse for the night.
23 Aug 1914	Underway at 8am sailed up the River Seine. The trip up the river was beautiful as regards weather and scenery. People cheered all the way up the river firing small guns, fireworks and singing 'Vive L'Angleterre'. They were answered with shouts of 'Are we downhearted?'The Company arrived at Rouen at 4pm. The docks were crowded with people who besieged the men for souvenirs. Disembarkation completed at 11.30pm. Marched 4 miles to Bruyeres Camp, which was close to the race course.
24 Aug 1914	In camp preparing equipment
25 Aug 1914	Reveille at 1.30am. Marched 6 miles to Dametel. A hot day. While waiting for the train, several trains passed through carrying wounded and refugees from Mons. Departed Dametel 8.30pm.
26 Aug 1914	Arrived at St. Quentin at 8am. In sidings until 3.45pm.Trained back to Noyon arriving 6pm. In sidings all night.Two men missing on leaving St. Quentin. Many men made themselves ill eating apples. Stayed in the sidings and slept in the railway carriages in an uncomfortable bed
27 Aug 1914	Detrained (men,equipment and carts) and marched to Cavalry Barracks arriving 11am. Major Faber, Lts Wright and Gourlay and seven NCOs went to Ham to assist with preparations of a defensive position. They rejoined during the night except for 3 NCOs. Whilst at the camp the Company witnessed our infantry returning, never more than a hundred per party. They were absolutely dead beat, boots worn out, unshaven and dirty. The officers were in the same state.Each contingent returning would make for the riding school, flop down and immediatley fall asleep.
28 Aug 1914	Two Pontoon wagons plus one Trestle wagon left at 830am for Compiegne to join bridging wagons of other companies there. Lt Macready and a party of 3 made a reconnaissance of bridges near Sempigny, Varesnes etc for demolition . Company marched at 3.30pm to Sempigny to join HQ DIV Engineers, 4 Signal Co RE and 9th Field Company RE there. 3 NCOs joined from Ham. 1 man missing on leaving Noyon
29 Aug 1914	Orders received through CRE about midday to prepare 3 bridges (2 over canals and 1 over River Oise) between Pont D' Eveque and Sempigny for demolition. Work continues through the night. Reveille at 5am. Men take a bath in the canal. Arms inspection at 9.30am. Troops are passing through all day. News comes in that a Major in 9th Company has been killed. A French plane brIngs down a German plane after a short struggle.
30 Aug 1914	Bridges ready for demolition. Company (less demolition parties) marched 5am with 10 Bde. (orders for demolition attached) During the demolition of the last bridge, a stone one over the river, Lt Gourlay and party were fired on by Uhlans When at first they were on the far bank but subsiquently crossed into Sempigny. The 9th Lancers were providing the covering party but did not detect the approaches of the enemy. The demolition party escaped on bikes and on 9th Lancer's horses but two men were found missing. (believed dead as they were wounded) Sappers 11760 Coleman J and 10519 Butler J. A tool cart bolted and was lost. Company bivouacked at Cuise Lamotte about 11pm. The first bridge is blown at 3.30am. All cyclists are sent to blow up barges in the canal
31 Aug 1914	Company marched to Verbere. Start at 8.30am. Marched ten miles, stopped for a meal then continued marching for about another 15 miles through the forest of Compeigne. Finished march at 9.30pm. Marching in a long column with numerous lengthy delays. Company bivouacked in an onion field

1 Sep 1914	Company reveille at 4.30am by shots from neighbouring gardens. The company were surprised by Uhlans. The sentry shot and wounded a Uhlan of two were seen. The Company had been informed the previous evening by the OC the 11th Brigade ..... In which it was said no special protective measures were necessary. There were surprises and heavy casualties amongst other troops in the 4th Division. The Company formed up and marched with 12th Brigade transport to Chamicy and found a large farm and went into state of defence. Left there at 2.30pm and marched to Montpilly to put that village in state of defence. Orders cancelled soon after work began. Company marched to Barom and bivouacked.
2 Sep 1914	Company marched 12.30am to Dammartin, arriving at 7.30am. Improved water supply and rested. Left Dammartin 11.30pm. We march all night until 7.30am bivouacking at Dammartin about 50 miles from Paris.
3 Sep 1914	Arrived and bivouac at Chanteloup 3 miles S of Lagny at 2pm. After a trying march, Major Faber RE moved to 7 Field Ambulance sick. Capt I P Smith took over command.We continue in column, the cyclists in advance to fill in small trenches and obstacles the refugees had put up. We arrive at Claye at 6am and march on to Lagny where we arrive at 9.30am. We bivouac about 5 miles further on at a village called Chantelope
4 Sep 1914	Remained and rested at Chanteloup till 2.30pm. No 3 Section, Lt Gourlay then joined DIV HQ at Jossigny. Company marched to Coupvray with 11 Bde and bivouacked in the grounds of the Chateau. Roused at 11.30pm and marched towards Jossigny as the enemy were now in gun range of the Chateau.
Saturday 5 Sep 1914	The Company pass through Pontcarre at 6.30am and on through Chevy arriving at Brie about midday. The Company had marched 32 miles from their starting point. It was their stiffest march in boiling hot weather. The Company bivouacked 2 miles outside Brie.
Sunday 6 Sep 1914	Marched at 4am to near Jossigny. The Company rested for a few hours with the 11th Inf Bde, then marched to and bivouacked at Villeneuve Le Aqiate ? in the 11 Inf Bde area. During this and the following days 11th Bde was acting as reserve to 4 Division, which in turn was in support of the 1st Army directly engaged with the enemy to the East. We leave bivouac at 3.30am and commence to advance. We hear the guns of the French and Germans. We have an hour's rest and proceed again at 2.30pm passing through Ferriers and Josigny. We arrive at our bivouac at 6.30pm at Hilleneuve.
7 Sep 1914	Marched at 11.15am arrived at 7pm and bivouacked at Maisoncelles. German troops had only just quited the neighbourhood. Our infantry open fire at daybreak, we advance at 10.15am passing through Creacy, a beautifully situated village. We bivouac at 7.30pm at Maisoncelles which is 40 mile East of Paris.
8 Sep 1914	Left Maisoncelles at 8am and arrived 4 miles S of Signy-Signets in rear of 19th Bde. Column checked by shell fire. Bivouacked at Les Gorbiers. One of the men missing at St. Quentin rejoined. We have breakfast at 7am and march off at 9am. Fighting is still going on. It rains hard during the afternoon, we bivouac at Jouarre.
9 Sep 1914	At 8am a shell fell near bivouac and Company returned S of Jouarre leaving on to a point 1 mile S of LA Ferte at 12 noon. Sunday reconnaissance of the River Marne was made, the Germans having destroyed all bridges. 9pm proceeded to assist 9 Company make a floating bridge over the River Marne. Bridge Complete at 7am. Span about 220 feet. We leave in a hurry at 9.30am owing to the unpleasant affects of German shrapnel and proceed to St Martins. It is raining hard. We clear and make an approach to the River Marne preparatory to bridging it.
Thursday 10 Sep 1914	2 Inf Bdes, 1 French Cav Bde and the 4 DIV's Train crossed. The Company bivouacked in La Ferte. We finish the bridge by 9.45am the village is called La Ferte. The bridge is composed of 4 pontoons, various barges and barrel piers. We man the bridge all day, by night fall the whole of the troops have crossed over. We bivouac under the trees for a well earned rest.
11 Sep 1914	Paraded at 4.15am and dismantled the bridge. Bridge dismantled at 8.30am. Marched at 9am via Montigny to St. Quentin. Arrived at 7.30pm and bivouacked. All the Company is arroused at 4am and commence to dismantle the bridge which is finished by 8.30am. We march off at 9am to join the Division, we bivouac at 7.30pm at a small village called St Quentin. Its pouring wih rain

During the German retreat across the Marne river in September 1914, all of the bridges were blown. When the British and French counter-attacked during the Battle of the Marne, there were no crossing points along the river and pontoon bridges had be put in place by engineers. At La Ferte sous Jouarre on 9th September 1914, Royal Engineer units from the British 4th Division placed such a bridge across the Marne alongside the ruins of one that had been destroyed. While doing so they were under fire from the Germans on the opposite bank.
The Official History records that the bridge here consisted of 2 trestles, 4 pontoons, 4 barrel piers, 1 barge and 2 boats. It was completed by 7am on 10th September 1914, and infantry and artillery from 4th Division then began to cross.
After the war this important feat during this key battle was recognised by placing two memorials on each bank of the Marne, on the spot where the bridge had been in 1914 to commemorate the role of the Royal Engineers. Each was engraved with the RE badge and topped with a flaming ball; also the insignia of the Royal Engineers.

Battle of the Marne. A pontoon floating bridge is built over the River Marne for the BEF Counter-attack at La Ferte sous Jouarre 9^th September 1914. The bridge was built by the 7^th and 9^th Field Companies RE.
7 Field Company manned the bridge all day on the 10 September until all the Allies had crossed.
D’ Company 1st Battalion the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) are seen here crossing the bridge.
The following day at 4.15am 7 Field Company RE started dismantling the bridge
.

A Memorial each side of the River Marne marks the spot where the bridge was constructed

J E Daniels, a member of the Company in 1914 kept a diary up until early 1915 and I have included his account in black text after the Company’s entry. I have written the two diaries as per how they are actually written and worded including the '12 hour' clock. My thanks to the library staff at the RE Museum who were most helpful with my research.

On the right is the Company's diary entry for the 9th Sep.
It is the last entry on page 6 and continues on page 7 as shown below.

9th Sep continued

10 Sep

Saturday 12 Sep 1914	Marched at 7am Chateau via Maucreux to Tigny and billeted in a farm at 6pm. We march off west 20 miles in the pouring rain. For the first time we bivouac in a draughty barn
Sunday 13 Sep 1914	Paraded at 3.30am and marched to Le Pavilion 1 mile N of Rozieres. Halted for breakfast. Proceeded via Billy to Venizel in company with 9th Company. Constructed a bridge over the River Aisne of Company material and casks. Withdrew at 3.30pm and bivouacked at Vignolles 2 miles S of Soissons with 2nd Bridging Train. We rise at 2.30am and breakfast at 3am, half an hour later march off to build another bridge. Our infantry and artillery are heavily engaged. We advance at 10am to build bridge, but owing to being shelled we take cover behind a house . After a time we carefully make our way into Venizel. Passing on our way numerous dead and wounded of the Kings Own Rifles. We prepare the raft for the bridge for the 9th Company to complete, whilst we at 3pm are ordered to Soissons to put up a heavy pontoon bridge. To do this we have to march 12 miles when we bivouac in the rain for the night
14 Sep 1914	Paraded at 7am and attempted to bridge the R Aisne at Soissons. Prevented by fire from a heavy battery and gave up the attempt at 1pm. Withdrew to Vignolles. After waking up at 5am in pools of water we are detailed in parties. I am the general's orderly. My work consists of showing the pontoon drivers the way to the river. Shells are dropping all over the place, a piece dropped not 6 foot from me so I retired to a doorway and none too soon for had I stopped where I was I should no doubt have been in little pieces! The Company had to give up the attempt to put up a bridge as the Germans had observed us making the bridge and heavily shelled the position. We retired to a goods yard warehouse, where 16 men were are told to recover the pontoons at night, which was safely done. We had a message read out to us from the General, congratulating us on the bridge over the Marne
15 Sep 1914	Paraded at 9.30am and marched to Venizel. No1 Section took over control of floating bridge. The other 3 Sections were allotted to the 3 Brigades but were concentrated at St Marguerite and undertook work from 8pm to 1am in connection with defences 1/2 mile N of the village. Work was interupted at 11pm for 1/2 hour by an attack on the E flank. No casualties. HQ of the Company remained at Venizel. We leave Soissons at 8.30am to return to the 11 Inf Bde. We cross the Aisne and advance in extended order towards Bucy-le-Long but have to retire on account of heavy shelling on the left. We once more set off but more to the right towards St Marguerite, and are successful in reaching Brigade HQ. We have dinner under cover of a church at St Marguerite. We see several wounded taken into the church which is being used as a hospital. The 'Kings Own' borrow our shovels to dig graves. After resting a while we go up a dark muddy lane, the hill with pick and shovel full marching order. It is pouring in torrents. When we had dug 2ft down we were surprised by German rifle fire, so down we had to lay in our trench. We eventually finish and scramble back to the village. We found shelter in a small room,it is almost as bad as the 'Black Hole' of Calcutta, we laid down, or rather sat down and went to sleep wet and hungry.
16 Sep 1914	An attempt was made at 8am to send Regimental transport into St Marguerite from Venizel but it was stopped by shell fire, and rations etc.were brought up by mounted orderlies. Paraded at 8am. Nos 2 and 4 Sections for work with the 'Inniskillings' and No3 Section for work with the 'Kings Own'. No1 Section remained on the bridge at Venizel, which was shelled without damage during the morning. Awake somewhere about 6am looking very dilapidated after last night's work. We clean up and I am on guard over a water trough. The Germans are constantly shelling but owing to this village being under a hill they can do no damage. We are put on 1/4 rations, as no supplies have arrived yet. At 7.30pm we take picks and shovels and dig another trench. We have to work very quietly and manage to finish by 12.30am.
17 Sep 1914	In the evening No1 Section was brought up to St Marguerite (some text Crossed out) Work was carried on as follows: No3 Section with Centre Section of defence. No4 Section erecting barb wire and flares and cleaning brushwood in front of trenches with the 'Essex' Regt. All work was carried out after dark. Cpl Wiltam and two Sappers of No2 Section sent back sick. No3 Forage Cart gnashed up.The Germans are shelling Bucy-le-Long doing considerable damage. Five MP's are killed in a house. We have no work tonight.
18-21 Sep 1914	Work carried out in the lines by all Sections as requisite. This consisted chiefly in making shelters by day and erecting wire entanglements and overhead cover in the forward trenches by night. 2 Sections of the 9th Coy were brought up to the left Section and placed under orders of the OC 7th Coy. Capt G.B.O Symonds RE arrived and took over command of the Company. 14 Sappers arrived from base to replace casualties. Lcpl Spiers returned to base sick. Reveille at 5am. We have more roomier quarters. I am sleeping in a wine cellar. We parade for work at 10am for improving trenches, whilst doing so we are shelled though no one is hit. We finish at 2pm and go out again at 7.30pm finishing our work for the 'Essex Regt' by midnight.
19 Sep 1914	Parade at 10am for work until 1.30pm. We parade again at 7.30pm to put up an entanglement in front of the advance trenches. We finish this at 11.30pm
20 Sep 1914	We have nothing to do during the day but at 6pm we go to improve trenches and make dug-outs, finishing at 12pm
21 Sep 1914	We make overhead cover in the trenches from 8.30am until 12pm (noon). We carry on with the same work from 3pm to 6pm. We have the night in
22 Sep 1914	Work as requisites including night work. We parade for trench improvements but ordered back on account of heavy shelling . Our artillery are at it all the morning. We go up to the trenches at 7pm improving them until 12 o'clock.
23 Sep 1914	Work as requisites. St Marguerite was heavily shelled by a battery of field guns. Sapper Horsford No4 Section was wounded by a splinter. We have a bit of sunshine, it is quite a change from the rain. At 8.30pm we go to find wood suitable for making dug-outs. Sapper Horseford is struck in the neck by a piece of shell and is taken to hospital. Very heavy shelling all day long
24 Sep 1914	All Sections working on their parts of the position. Shell fire as usual. The HQ of the company still remained at Venizel. We parade at 8.30am to make shelters for the 'Essex Regt', for sleeping in. We finish at 3pm and have the night in.
25-27 Sep 1914	All Sections worked on trenches, barbed wire and other obstacles, head cover, communications and shelters. Sections had a considerable amount of night work, as in many cases work was in view of the enemy in daylight. Work again in the trenches from 8.30am until 1.30pm. We have nothing to do in the afternoon but at 7.30pm we put up an entanglement finishing at midnight.
Saturday 26 Sep 1914	The sun continues to shine. We parade for work at 10am cutting a way through a wood until 12.30pm. Parade at 7pm and put up more entanglements and finish by 9.30pm
Sunday 27 Sep 1914	We have the day off but parade at 1.30pm for trenching, returning at 7.30pm. We had new boots issued to us, which were very badly needed
28 Sep 1914	All Sections working. Three out at night working on advanced trenches with infantry of the 12th Brigade. During this and proceeding days the Company was frequently employed on improving roads, sanitary arrangements etc. This and all the other work also involved the collection of materials in the neighbourhood, barbed wire from fences, wood from buildings. We make brushwood hurdles in the afternoon and dig a trench for the 'kings Own' at 11.30pm finishing at 4am
29-30 Sep 1914	All Sections working on their positions, largely night work, barbed wire, shelters, artillery observation post etc. A note on strength, casualties for September is attached. Cut 5 ft pickets for wire entanglements. Aeroplane dropped bomb close to us, made a horrible smell, we soon finished and came back. In the afternoon prepared pickets up the hill for the L.Fb headquarters, came back for tea and returned afterwards. The infantry had not finished so we gave a hand, but had hardly commenced when orders came that we had to cease work as an attack was expected
30 Sep 1914	We again went up to L.Fb, but found that they had to increase the depth of the dug-out to 7ft so we commenced cutting brushwood, owing to the felling of a large tree we drew the enemies fire. Four of our fellows had a narrow escape. Work being impossible we returned and made brushwood hurdles. We went up to the dug-out at night and finished excavating. We drew shrapnel fire again but no harm came of it, we covered the dug-out over.

The German line on the Marne viewed from Signy-Signets

Battle of the Marne.A British 18 pounder comes into action at Signy-Signets. 8 September 1914. Bottom left, men of the 1st Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)

1 Oct 1914	Company employed as before. Made more hurdles during the morning. After dinner we made a fire place in the shelter. I had a parcel and a letter. No work tonight so have a good sleep.
2 Oct 1914	2Lt Latham RE joined the Company from the Base and took command of No 1 Section from Lt Stavert. Work as usual. The 4th Division extended it's front line to the East taking over ground formerly occupied by the 5th Brigade (which was withdrawn) including the village of Missy . This change involved bringing some of our working parties within 200yds of the enemies trenches. How Dangerous! (penciled comment after the entry). We do no work during the day. At 8pm we commence to make a large barricade where our trenches are enfiladed.we are hidden from the Germans by a large tarpaulin. We finish at 2am
Saturday 3 Oct 1914	The headquarters of the Company, less the bridging equipment and its personnel moved over into St Marguerite. No 1 Section moved from St Marguerite to Bucy Le Long. We have no work to do today or night for tomorrow we are going to Missy, which has been retaken from the enemy. We had some 'Jack Johnsons' over at tea time, too fine a range for our liking. Had a P.C. From Phil. (note: Phil being Jeffery's younger brother)
Sunday 4 Oct 1914	Work as usual. We arrive at Missy at daybreak, a regular death trap, it has been shelled to pieces except one house where we are quartered. In the morning we made loop holes in the walls. There is generally one left to each house. We had to nip across the road pretty smart as there is plenty of sniping going on. Returned to St Marguerites 11pm to see considerable damage to further end of the village, by shells.
5 Oct 1914	Sections at work during the day. The whole Company quitted St Marguerite at 6.30pm and marched via pontoon bridge at Mouven Des Roches. ACY and ECURY to Rozieres, leaving No 4 Section at the bridge to dismantle it later. Company billeted in Chivery. We rose fairly late and had rifle and kit inspection, then plenty of shells over. We did nothing during the afternoon except drew new under clothes. Later we packed our kits. Our artillery is shelling the enemy heavily. Two days ago we received the very welcome 'Daily Mirror' blankets. At 6pm we started on the track arriving at Rozieres at 10.30pm. What a relief to be out of those shells. "I don't know where we're going to but when we get the * ".
6 Oct 1914	In the same billets. No4 Section rejoined in the morning. Lt Stavert RESR left for base. We have nothing to do all day. I have sore feet owing to wearing my new boots. Had a game of draughts during the afternoon.
7 Oct 1914	In billets all day marched at midnight. Breakfast at 7.30am and clean arms, inspection at 9am. We hear that the French have taken over St Marguerites. I have obtained No 14 bicycle. We commenced marching at 11.30pm and kept on until 4am. A pontoon got into the ditch so cyclists had to help it out.
8 Oct 1914	Marched with 11th Briade via Hartennes to Rilly Sur Cureq arriving 4am, billeted. Marched again with 11th Brigade at 5pm to Langny via Corey and Villers Cotterete. Arrived 2.30am, having had a two hour halt for a meal enroute. Had a fairly good sleep in a cow shed, its getting very cold now, frosty at nights. At 1.30pm I was sent to Brigade Headquarters for orders and returned at 5.30pm to find the Company gone, followed them up and finally arrived at our billet at 3am. We passed through Villiers Cotterettes, a fairly large town in which there were a very large number of French Motor transport. Our bedroom is a hay-loft a very comfortable change. It is the warmest sleep I have had for some time.
9 Oct 1914	Marched with 11 Brigade at 2.30pm via Vez and Bethan Court to Nery. Arrived 9.20pm and billeted. Left our bivouac at 2.30pm, it is a fine day, after a long and tiring march we arrive at Nery of L Battery fame, we slept in another cow-shed.
Saturday 10 Oct 1914	Marched independently at 1pm via Villeneuve to Pont Point. Arrived 4pm, billetted. Lt Macready was employed as RTO at Pont St Maxence on this and following day. Arose about 8.30am and marched till 4pm. We billeted at a farm just outside Pont-St-Maxence. The Germans had visited this farm from which they had taken 3 cows. I am sent with Elms to the railway station to act as orderlies. I had one message to deliver during the night.
Sunday 11 Oct 1914	Remained at Pont Point. Arose at 6am and went to our billet for the days rations and had just returned when I had a message to deliver R.F.A. I at last managed to get breakfast at 9am. The people here are very hospitable and are the best dressed I have seen yet in France. Had one message to deliver at night to our Company.
12 Oct 1914	Nos 3 and 4 Sections and all vehicles and horses marched at 3.30am to entrain at Pont St Maxence. Remainder of Company marched at 5pm. Train started at 8.40am. Travelled via Creil, Armiens and Etaples to Blendecques, three miles south of St Omer. Detrained and marched to Hondeghem. Woke Mr Macready at 4am and we all entrained leaving the station at 7.30am in the cattle trucks. We passed through several fairly large towns. At 10am we arrived at Amiens, at Etaples we received a warm reception from the public, also at Le Touquet and various other stations. We finally detrained at Blendeaques at 9pm. After unloading we had a long march to Caestre, arriving at 5am. It was very cold and had just commenced to rain.
13 Oct 1914	Arrived Hondeghem 5.30am and billeted. Marched again at 10am in rear of 11th Brigade to a point one mile East of Caestre. The Division was in action again during the afternoon to the East of Fletre and captured a position running North and South through Metcren, held by German Cavalry and cyclists. Billeted one mile West of Fletre. The pontoon and Tresle wagons were left (with those of 9 Coy) at Caestre. We had breakfast at 7.15am and commenced marching again at 10.30am. It was raining hard and continued all day. We halted at 3pm as our infantry had caught up with the Germans. Our artillery was giving them socks! At last we moved off and finally billeted in a farm where we had a decent sleep.
14 Oct 1914	Nos 1 and 2 Sections marched with Divisional advance guard to Bailleul in the morning. No 3 Section returned to Caestre to load all superstructure on Trestle wagons, the Trestles being removed to pontoon wagons. This with a view to the bridging of small streams in Belgium. On return of No 3 Section, with Trestle wagons, Company marched at 1.15pm with 12th Brigade to Bailleul. Billeted at 7pm. Company reinforced by rank and file from Base. Had a hurried breakfast and marched off. The Germans having retreated over the frontier. It is pouring with rain, we halt for dinner and then march on to Bailleul a town of 13,000 inhabitants. Here we capture two German Cavalrymen and go on a wild goose chase for another one. The people are very kind, giving us sweets, fruit and matches etc. We slept at a brewery and had a fairly good sleep. The Germans had been here.
15 Oct 1914	Remained in bailleul. No 3 and 4 Sections marched at 5pm to Nieppe.many delays on the road to Nieppe, was reached only at 3.30 am. The Sections were ordered to assist Somerset LI putting Nieppe in state of defence. Capt Symons and Lt Wright were sent to reconnoitre Erquinghem Bridge which was found to be held by the enemy. After daybreak Capt Symons, again reconnoitred and was able to cross the bridge (it was subsequently reoccupied for part of the day by the enemy) Arose at 5am and had breakfast at 5.30am. Received two parcels of papers and writing paper from Phil. We were going to be paid but there was not enough money to pay us with. A lady who could speak English said that "now you have come we have forgotten half our troubles", continuing she said "There was no word bad enough to describe the German's conduct" This place has escaped very lightly for we saw only two houses burnt, tho' most of the houses had been broken open. We were supposed to move at 5 pm but did not.
16 Oct 1914	The headquarters and Nos 1 and 2 Sections marched independently at 11am from Bailleul. No1 and 2 Sections joined 12th Brigade at Ploegsteert at 3 pm and assisted the Inniskillen Fusiliers in strengthening their position 1/2 mile East of that village. These Sections and the others in Nieppe worked part of the night.. Company headquarters reached Nieppe at 1pm and remained in billets there. Arose at 5 am had breakfast and paraded for pay, drew 4 Fr. An hour after we left the town, passing thro' Romarin a frontier village at midday. We proceeded straight to our work near Ploegsteert, putting up wire entanglement. We finished and came back to a farm for the night. Everything is much cheaper here, whereas in France, bread was a franc a loaf. Here it is only 4c.
Saturday 17 Oct 1914	No1 and 2 Sections worked from daybreak and after a rest, during the remainder of the day. Nos 3 and 4 remained in Nieppe. Headquarters marched at 8.30am via Romarin and billeted 3/4 mile West of Ploegsteert. The Trestle wagon was left in Nieppe. At 3pm No3 and 4 Sections marched with 9th Co RE, and bridging equipment of both Companies ( which had just come in from Bailleul), to Armentieres and Houplines to repair bridges, all being under the command of O.C 9th Co. RE. During the afternoon the Division was moving forward to a line Le Guerre, Houplines, Armentiers. The latter place was evacuated by the enemy without any resistance during the day. Arose at 4am and proceeded to continue putting up the barbed wire round the reserve trenches. We worked at it until 5.30pm when we advanced to Le Guerre to dig some trenches. We finished at 4 am the next morning.
Sunday 18 Oct 1914	Nos 3 and 4 Sections billeted in Houplines after doing entrenching during the previous night near Le Guerre. No1 and 2 Sections moved during the afternoon to Le Bizet. We had breakfast at 7.30am and then went to sleep till tea time. I was tired out. We left billet about 5.30pm for Bizet. We dug trenches in Le Touquet which was on fire in different places. It was a grand yet awful sight. We finished digging at 4 am.
19 Oct 1914	During the night 18-19th Nos 1 and 2 Sections built barricades etc, near Le Touquet village which the 12 Brigade were attacking during this and following days. No3 and 4 Sections marched across during the same night to Ploegsteert. In the morning of 19th, Company Headquarters moved to Le Bizet. Sections were again at work assisting the infantry (12th Brigade) to entrench on of 19th. Breakfast at 8 am and then sleep until dinner time. Had a parcel and a letter. We dug some trenches at night returning to bivouac at 2 am.
20 Oct 1914	No 4 Section moved to Pont De Nieppe at midday and made a bridgehead on the right bank of the R, Lys. At night the 9th Co built a pontoon bridge between Le Bizet and Armentieres and No 4 Section made the approaches. No1 and 2 Sections worked on entrenchments during the night. Company headquarters and Nos 1 and 2 Sections moved to Ploegsteert at 6pm. Nos 1, 2 and 3 Sections worked during the night at entrenchments etc. N E of Bois De Ploegsteert. The last named Section assisting the 2nd Cavalry Brigade. I slept till dinner time after which I obtained a pair of socks and a new canteen. At 4pm we had orders to stand to as the Germans were attacking where we were last night. We moved off at 5pm to dig trenches for the Cavalry and then proceeded to our new billet in Ploegsteert arriving there at 2am.
21 Oct 1914	No 4 Section returned during the afternoon and marched near Messines where it built machine gun emplacements, returning during the night. Ploegeteert village was slightly shelled during the day. The Germans have captured the village at which we were last night taking about 50 Inniskillings. At 10.30am we commence to put a wire entanglement in a wood. Here we learn that we have retaken Le Guerre, taking some 170 prisoners as well as relieving our own men. The prisoners were very pitiable looking objects, dirty, and unshaven and very glad to be taken. One of them said they only feared one of the allies and that was the English, he also declared that they were ordered to charge and when they were half way across their officers deserted them. They have lost 13,000 round here the last day or two. The Engish rifle fire is impossible to face. We finished work about 5.30pm returning to a promised night in bed. There has been heavy shelling by both sides, particulary ours, there are several houses on fire.
22 Oct 1914	Sections collected barbed wire and posts during the day. No 1,2 and 3 Sections worked at night. The firing continues. This morning we are collecting wire for entanglement. After dinner we cut the required pickets. Paraded at 5pm and reached St Yves at 6.30pm. It has been terribly shelled, not a house standing and huge holes in the ground. We had nearly completed one entanglement when our fellows in the trenches opened fire upon us. The enemy replied from 400yds. Down we flopped, after the first 2 or 3 minutes we began to get used to it, yet I could not help wondering where or when I should be hit. The bullets were ricocheting off the wire and plumping into the ground all around us. After twenty minutes, firing ceased, so waiting about five minutes we crept back to our own trenches with great care to let our fellows know who we were as it was quite possible that they would have fired on us. We were all very thankful to get out of what had been a tight corner.we arrived back at our billet at about 3am.
23 Oct 1914	Nos 1,2 and 3 Sections at work again at night. No 4 Section joined 12th Brigade and marched to Nieppe. We had breakfast at 8.30 am and then collected more pickets. We had nothing to do after. At 5.30pm we started out to the scene of last night's adventure. We put up one entanglement but as it was too light and much nearer the enemies trenches we could not put up the second one. We had nearly arrived back when the Germans attacked our trenches, we were well out of it however. We arrived home at 2.30am.
Saturday 24 Oct 1914	Section commanders supervised civilian labour working on second line entanglements during the day. Sections worked on barbed wire entanglements etc in first line by night. We had breakfast and heard that the 1st and 2nd Division have captured 500 prisoners besides killing 1000 of the enemy last night. At 11am we left our billet for an unknown destination. We returned about 1pm having gone on a wild goose chase. During the afternoon we made a trip wire entanglement ready for putting up tonight. Received three letters, one dated August 28th! Fixed the entanglement and arrived backat 1.30am.
Sunday 25-29 Oct 1914	All sections continued to be employed as above. No4 Section was billeted at Nieppe. No 1 between Le Bizet and Ploegsteert and the remainder of the Company in Ploegsteert. We had nothing to do during the day. I am on guard duty today. It is raining hard. The Section returned from work a 11.30pm. Two months from Xmas!
26 Oct 1914	We had breakfast about 8am and collected wood for pickets after which we made entanglements on 2nd line of defence. Went out again 6.45pm but could do nothing owing to a fire at a convent so we returned at 11.30pm. I received a parcel from home.
27 Oct 1914	Breakfast at 8 am and paraded for work at 10 am for wire entanglements on 2nd line. We finish at 2.30 pm. We went to St Yves at 6.45 pm but could do no work as our artillery shelled and fired a house in which Germans were suspected of placing a machine gun. We returned to billet about 6 am.
28 Oct 1914	Arose about 8.30 am. At 9.45 am we went to second line and worked on barbed wire. At 2.30 pm we returned to billet. At 12.30 am we went to first line and fixed a low wire entanglement returning to billet at 5 am.
29 Oct 1914	Got up at 9 am and at 9.45 am again went to the barbed wire entanglement returning about 1.30 pm to dinner. Paraded at 7.30 pm to put up wire entanglements.
30 Oct 1914	Part of the positions held by the 4th Division was attacked vigorously during the days. Civilian labour worked where possible on second line entanglements under supervision RE officers. No 2 Section were shelled while working on second line in day time. No1,2 and 3 Sections worked on barbed wire entanglements etc for 11th Brigade at night as usual. No 4 Section continued to be employed by 12th Brigade. Had breakfast and went up to help supervise civilians digging trenches. On arriving there however, we found no civilians as shells were dropping thick and heavy. At night we went up to the trenches and built barricades. The Germans had charged during the day and lay about in hundreds. Our barbed wire had proved an effective barrier. We had plenty of souvenirs.
Saturday 31 Oct 1914	Sections worked as before. A note on Strength and Casualties etc is attached for Oct. Got up about 8.30 am and after breakfast we finished the wiring on the 2nd line of defence. We paraded for work about 7 pm and put up 700 yds of wire entanglements working with No3 Section-returned about 3 am.

The above picture is the 7 Field Company War Diary 1914-15. The entries are 'scribbled' in as per shown on the first page Right.

Above 7 Field Company Diary starting December1915

The above poster had first appeared as a cover illustration for London Opinion, one of the most influential magazines in the world, on 5 September 1914. A similar poster used the words "YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU" On the outbreak of the First World War, Prime Minister Herbert Asquith appointed Kitchener as Secretary of State for War. Kitchener was the first member of the military to hold the post and was given the task of recruiting a large army to fight Germany. The Parliamentary Recruiting Committee obtained permission to use the design in poster form. The Times recorded the scene in London on 3 January 1915; "Posters appealing to recruits are to be seen on every hoarding, in most windows, in omnibuses, tramcars and commercial vans. The great base of Nelson’s Column is covered with them. Their number and variety are remarkable”. It became one of the most famous posters in history.

Sunday 1 Nov 1914	Sections worked as before. No1 remained billeted near Le Bizet. No 4 at Pont De Neippe working with 12th Brigade, remainder of Company in Ploegsteert. Got up about 9 am and had breakfast and then shells began to drop, fatally injuring one driver and two horses of No3 Section. About 10.30 am we shifted billet and went to dig trenches until 4 pm when we knocked off for dinner. At 5.30 pm we marched to the 1st line and put up a formidable entanglement, returning to our new billet near Nieppe at 3.30 am.
2 Nov 1914	Enemy started putting high explosive shells into and around Ploegsteert, so as many troops as possible were moved out of the village. No (blank) Driver A. Hawkins 7th Co. was severely wounded close to billets by a shell, a horse he was riding was killed. Company headquarters moved to billets in a farm 1/2 mile S of Romarin. No 2 marched to the same billets as No1. Arose about 10 am and had breakfast and was then sent to Ploegsteert for orders from No1 Section. I returned to dinner, returning afterwards again. Joined the demolition party and blew up several houses.
3 Nov 1914	Work as before. After breakfast the cyclists again go on demolitions. Heavy artillery is going on. At night we blew up a large and beautiful chateau, it must have cost an enormous sum. The place had been shelled by Germans. We returned to billet at 6 am.
4 Nov 1914	Work as before. (not in diary. Driver Hawkins. Arthur 20189. Died of wounds 4-11-1914) Have breakfast and go to sleep until dinner time. At 2 pm we cut pickets and at 5 pm we parade to fix up wire entanglement, returning to billet at 12 pm.
5 Nov 1914	No 4 Section worked on entrenchments in back position near Romarin working directly under the C.R.E. Have breakfast and at 8.45pm we cut pickets until 4pm. After tea we parade for work putting up 1000yds entanglemant. Returning to billet at 2am.
6 Nov 1914	Work as before. Arose about 8am and at 10 am cut more pickets and after dinner put up more entanglement. After tea we continue doing about 600 yds, returning to billet at 4 am.
Saturday 7 Nov 1914	No 4 Section rejoined the Company, moved to billets in Nieppe. All Sections worked at night for 11th Brigade. Cut more pickets and coiled up wire all day. Have a pretty good night's rest - first for ages.
Sunday 8 Nov 1914	No 4 moved into the same billets as headquarters and No 2 Section, work at night as before. Arose at 7.30am and had breakfast after which we cut pickets till 12 noon. In the afternoon we thinned some hedges. We arrive at billet at 6.45pm when we turn in, but at 10.30pm we aroused for we have an important entanglement t put up at St Yves. Shelling is going on all the time as well as sniping. We come across several of the 'Worcesters' lying dead. After having a very nervy night we returned to billet at 5am.
9 Nov 1914	No 4 was employed on the usual night work .No 2 and 3 Sections each provided 1 NCO and 16 men to assist in an attack made by the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders and Lancs Fusiliers on a German Salient, some of these going with the first line. The attack failed. No (blank) Sapper Stanley was wounded. We have breakfast and then have to move our billet owing to a 9.2 being placed in the farm yard. We have a night in.
10 Nov 1914	All Sections on night work (barbed wire clearing etc) in Ploegsteert wood. We have nothing to do during the day. We go to work at 5pm to put up an entanglement, the mud is awful - knee deep, we return to our billet at 4am.
11 Nov 1914	All Sections again at work during the night. We have nothing to do until midnight when we clear the wood in front of 2nd line of defence. After the usual walk thro' mud we return to billet at 5 am
12 Nov 1914	All Sections worked at night. We went to work at 10.30pm to dig trenches on second line. Several shells dropped 20yds from us but did no harm. We returned to billet at 6 am.
13 Nov 1914	Company moved to billets in Pont De Neippe in the afternoon, these concluded several weeks of strenious work, mostly done at night and at times in bad weather. We change billet with 9th Company who are at Pont De Nieppe. The billet is a church school, it is raining and blowing hard.
Saturday 14 Nov 1914	All the Company worked on a back line of entrenchments which were being made for a reserve position, the portion worked on lying between Nieppe and Neuve Eglise. The work included demolition of several houses with explosives and the safer intendence of about 400 civilian labourers. Had a good nights rest in our new billet. At 8.30 am we paraded and supervised civilians until 4.30 pm. It is very cold wet and windy.
Sunday 15 Nov 1914	Work as before. Had breakfast at 7.30am and paraded for work at 8.30am. It is snowing hard and a gale blowing, came- - -? Returning to supervise civilians and making of shelters until 4.30 pm
16 Nov 1914	Some fitters and blacksmiths started working on steel loophole plates in Armentieres. The Sections worked on entrenchments and demolition of houses as before. Breakfast at 7.15am and off to work at 8.30 am. It is raining hard and blowing a strong cold gale.
17 Nov 1914	Major Symons, Lt Paterson (?) visited trenches of 12th Brigade to make arrangements for sappering as access to these trenches have become difficult owing to the approaches of German trenches within about 60 yards. Today is a bit better tho it is very cold and a bit showery, returned to billet at 4.30 pm.
18 Nov 1914	No 3 Section and some fitters etc from other Sections started work on a girder bridge over the canal in Armentieres. Central span 65' with approaches: total span 122'. No1 Section was attached to 12th Brigade and worked in the trenches. No 2 and 4 Sections continued to work on back line areas. About 250 civilians were also employed each day. Breakfast at 7.30 am. It is a fine day, we made more shelters. Had a parcel of wool things from home. It is very cold.
19 Nov 1914	No 3 worked for 12th Brigade most of Tuesday and at night, also putting up barbed wire. Other Sections worked as before. It is snowing hard, we could only work slowly, returned to billet at 4 pm.
20 Nov 1914	Sections distributed as before. Lt G N Macready quitted the Company this day on appointment as the ADC to GOC 1st Division. Had breakfast at 7.15 am and at 8.30 am paraded for work - it has frozen hard during the night. A slight thaw set in during the morning, but after dinner it was frozen again. We returned to billet at 4.30 pm.
Saturday 21 Nov 1914	Lt Wright proceeded on 10 days leave to England. No 2 Section worked by day with the 9th Co, in Ploegsteert woods. Again to work at 8.30 am still freezing. We returned to billet at 4.30 pm
Sunday 22 Nov 1914	No 1 still with 12th Brigade and billeted in Le Bizet. No 2 working with 9th Co. No 3 on the bridge. No 4 on backline entrenchments with civilians. Paraded at 8am and went to Ploegsteert to make shelters in the woods. Plenty of spare bullets, we were back at billet by 5 pm
23 Nov 1914	Work as before. During the night a heavy motor lorry (weight about 4 tons without its load of clothing) broke the pontoon bridge between Le Bizet and Armentieres. Again in the woods. A territorial and one of the 9th hit by spare bullets. We were back at billet as usual at 5 pm.
24 Nov 1914	Work as before except that a barge, tackle etc were brought up to enable the lorry to be moved. A man of the Somerset's hit by a spare bullet. Five German snipers caught and shot.
25 Nov 1914	Lorry was extracted and a new pontoon and Trestle bridge started during the day. This was worked on till 2am. Bridge as then complete but not satisfactory as the river bed had been much lowered and the approaches and Trestles were not satisfactory. Only a few men worked on the girder bridge this day. A month from Xmas and 12 months service in the Re's. Still working on the shelters, returned as usual at 5 pm.
26 Nov 1914	New approaches were made for the pontoon bridge by No 4 Section and civilian labour. We finished the shelters at 2.30pm as it was too warm to continue for the Germans have begun to smell a rat. Two or three shells dropped only a dozen yards behind us. Our artillery had previously sent some 6 inch shells over.
27 Nov 1914	No1 was still with 12th Brigade. No 2 with 9th Field Co. No3 on girder bridge. No 4 worked partly on ablution benches etc for troops in billets. Partly on girder bridge. It was much quieter today, we have nearly finished our share of shelters, only six men and N.C.O. to come up tomorrow.
Saturday 28 Nov 1914	Work continued as before. Horror of horrors, we have finished 6 of their shelters, the 9th have only done 5 of their share. Had no lunch today as I was with the terriers and Somerset's digging party. The 5th City of London are fed up, and only been out three weeks too. We arrived home at 5 pm.
Sunday 29 Nov 1914	Work continued as before. Three cyclists paraded at 7.45 am, of course I am one of them. We proceeded to the woods and reported to 9th Coy. Major. Bread and cheese composed our Sunday dinner. Two fellows wounded by spare bullets
30 Nov 1914	Work continued as before. A note on Strength, Casualties etc for November is attached. Paraded again at 7.45 am and proceeded as yesterday to the woods which are now very muddy. We left at 3.30 pm.

1 Dec 1914	No1 Section working with 12 Brigade on shelters and barricades during the night. Nos 2,3 and 4 Sections on bridge and miscellaneous jobs till midday. In afternoon had hot baths at Divisional Baths. Lt Wright returned from 10 days leave. We do no work today as we are having a hot water bath and clean change this afternoon. The bath is a vat in a brewery by the riverside. Ten men in each vat and we were allowed 10 minutes to wash. This is my second bath I have had, the other was on the last day of the retreat, in a small stream running through an orchard.
2 Dec 1914	No1 working for 12th Brigade, No 2 for 11th Brigade in Ploegsteert wood, making shelters. No 3 and 4 working on bridge, ablution benches etc, till dinner. Then paraded at Nieppe for inspection by HM the King. Sergt Johnson receiving Distinguished Conduct Medal at the same time. Capt Smith proceeded on ten days leave. Work in the wood as usual, we left there at 2.30pm as we have at last finished. We were just in time to see the King and Prince of Wales as they passed thro' after inspecting those troops who were not on duty.
3 Dec 1914	No3 Section working on bridge. Nos 1, 2 and 3 worked for 12th Brigade, the last two on wire entanglements. Detachments also worked on pontoon bridge, cart repairs, trench mortars etc. I had a holiday today as it was impossible to go on any longer on this second pair of boots, which are not so good as the first pair. I had them repaired by one of our fellows at a modest price of one and a half Francs.
4 Dec 1914	No1 Section making shelters for 12th Brigade. No 2 road making and pontoon drill. No3 on girder bridge. No4 making roads, trench mortars etc. Paraded at 8.30am and rehearsed parts of the Wheldon trestle and method of launching from a raft. After dinner we practised knot tying. Had a letter from home.
5 Dec 1914	No1 with 12th Brigade doing sandbag revetments. No 2 and 4 dismantling pontoon bridge and making mortars. No3 on girder bridge. 2nd Lt Atkinson arrived and took over No 2 Section. It is raining hard today. We paraded at 9am. I took a message to the bridging train as we are taking up the pontoon bridge. We returned to billed at 4.30pm.
6 Dec 1914	No1 Section draining trenches, working pumps and making bombs. Nos 2, 3 and 4 completing bridge, making mortars and restoring pontoon equipment for 2nd Bridging Train. This morning we have our new officer. Mr Atkinson. We repair 3rd line which has collapsed in one or two places. There is a parade for C of Es I had to find the church.
7 Dec 1914	No1 with 12th Brigade. No 2 doing drainage and shelters. No 3 at pontoon drill and painting the girder bridge. No 4 building kitchen and making mortars. We are again on the trences, we had to bail out before we could work as there is over 2ft of water. We have dinner at 1pm, finishing work at 4pm.
8 Dec 1914	No1 with 12th Brigade. No 2 on shelters and drainage. No 3 on painting, making trench mortars and drainage. No 4 on kitchen, shelters and gun. Today we are working in Ploegsteert Woods making a pathway to Somerset House. Our road is called 'The Strand'. We return to billet at 4pm.
9 Dec 1914	No1 with 12th Brigade. Nos 2 and 4 for Somerset L.I (11th Brig) at night in the trenches. No 3 on drainage, bridge etc. Continued working on the pathway, we had plenty os spare bullets again. It rained a little this afternoon.
10 Dec 1914	No1 with 12th Brigade, draining trenches. Nos 2 and 4 in Ploegsteert Wood on roads and breastworks and some men at night in the trenches doing revetment. No 3 making gun, doing drainage and superintending infantry at woodwork. Still on the path, nothing of note has happened.
11 Dec 1914	No 3 leveling aerodrome, doing drainage, making loophole plates and mortar. Other Sections as before. We have been felling timber today for shelters.
12 Dec 1914	Sections distributed as before. More wood felling and then at night 13 of us went to Le Guerre making loopholes in the remains of some houses. One bullet hit a wall near me sending pieces in my face. We returned to billet at 2 am.
13 Dec 1914	No1 with 12th Brigade. Nos 2 and 4 in Ploegsteert Wood by day making shelters and breastworks. Some of No 2 on entanglements etc at night. No 3 on Miscellaneous works as before. We prepare a few small pickets for use tonight. We continue with the loop holes and put up one or two sand bag walls also a trip wire. It is a beastly night, we got wet thro'. The Germans are very active with their flares. We arrive home at 1.45 pm.
14 Dec 1914	Nos 2 and 4 working on plank roadways into Ploegsteert Wood. No 1 and 3 working as before. We have an easy day. I woke up very stiff and with a rotten headache, later we packed a pontoon and two trestle wagons.
15 - 22 Dec 1914	No 2 and 4 worked daily except on the 19th when work was not possible owing to the regiments there employed on attacking the German Trenches. In Ploegsteert Wood , No1 Plank roadways, drains, breastworks etc. On several nights No 4 Section provided a Sappering party for infantry employed on drainage near Le Guerre. No 3 Section worked in wood yards near Armentieres,on roads,on drainage and levelling an aerodrome ground etc. No1 continued to be employed in the trenches with the 12th Brigade being billeted in Le Bizet. Today we make a path from the 'Rifle Brigade' HQ to the Essex Farm. We soon finish and arrive back at 3.30 pm.
16 Dec 1914	This morning we have another path to make. It is called 'Spy Corner'. We came across a dead horse, which had been dead for ages. I am one of the unfortunate beggers told off to bury it. Our infantry working party had six injured by a shell which dropped on the Strand. The Germans have been fairly active with their guns.
17 Dec 1914	We continue with the path in the woods. About 50 shells drop 200yds from us. We return to billet at 4 pm.
18 Dec 1914	Mr Atkinson tossed up with Mr Wright for which section was to have a day in, we won so after a clean arms inspection we had the day off.
19 Dec 1914	I am on guard today. This is the 3rd I have done since we have been sent out.
20 Dec 1914	I was on fatiques during the morning fetching wood from Armetieres. Nothing to do during the afternoon.
21 Dec 1914	I am not on day work as I shall be working tonight at a house which was captured by the 'Somerset's' last Saturday. we could not do much work so returned after putting up barbed wire. The Germans are in a house 50 yards away.
22 Dec 1914	No work so had a day off, it is something to have an easy time!
23 & 24 Dec 1914	No 3 Section provided a party of 16 men to work on strengthening houses etc for defences at Le Guerre, working each night from 6pm till 12.30am. A small party of No 2 Section worked at night on other houses in front of Ploegsteert Wood. The remainder of the Company worked as before. Today we are working in the wood on the pathway again.
24 Dec 1914	I am working tonight. The excitement in the trenches is great. Singing going on by friend and foe, each applauding the other. Great cheers when a flare goes up. All the noise is a grreat help to us, we put up some more wire in front of the house. There must be a dead German under the bricks by the smell. I found a helmut.
Friday 25 Dec 1914	The whole of Xmas day was observed as a holiday. Xmas day! We have the day off. 10 o'clock we parade for Princess Mary's Present, and the King's Card, after which we are free. Have Xmas pudding for dinner and fried meat. In the afternoon the Company played the Clyde Co, at football, we won. At night we went to a concert given by the cyclists.
Saturday 26 Dec 1914	Lt Gourlay proceeded on leave. No 3 Section worked during the night at Le Guerre. No 2 and 4 worked in the woods and No1 Section worked with 12 Brigade. We work on the house at night, it is much different from last night, being quiet. It is freezing
27-30 Dec 1914	Work as before. The weekly rest day, a general clean up. I wrote several letters.
28 Dec 1914	We go to the woods and make two barbed wire gates, it is raining hard.
29 Dec 1914	We continue with the path. The mud is horrible.
30 Dec 1914	Again in the woods with the path.
31 Dec 1914	Worked as before except that No 3 Section were employed on miscellaneous work during the day. We have come to the first line of breastworks with the path.

The SMLE (Short Magazine Lee-Enfield) rifle was the primary firearm carried by British soldiers during the First World War. It fired a .303 round from a stripper clip via a bolt action that allowed a well-trained soldier to fire "12 rounds, aimed" per minute.

SMLE Lee-Enfield

Vickers Gun
The .303 Vickers was large, belt-fed, water-cooled heavy machine gun used primarily in a static defensive role.

Mauser Gewehr 98 Bolt Action Rifle
The standard German Army Infantry Rifle from 1998-1935

Maxim MG08
The MG08 was the first standard heavy machine gun used by the German Army during the First World War. The 08 refers to it's year of adoption, it remained in use until 1942, when it was replaced by the MG34 (1934)

1st Middlesex first line transport hit by shrapnel at Signy Signets 9 horses are killed and a water cart riddled. The man in the centre running into the ditch belongs to the Intelligence Corps, he is badly wounded and his head and face is covered in blood. Battle of the Marne 8 September 1914.

French troops in action. The Battle of the Marne September 1914

German Troops by the river Marne September 1914

German troops at the Battle of the Marne September 1914

Troop transportation WW1, The majority of troops, as in all previous conflicts had to march. Mechanised transport was still in its infancy, lorries were not that reliable and did not have very good performance on poor roads, so horses were mainly used to transport stores and supplies.. Each Infantry division had about 6.000 horses for transport, 25,000 horses were on the strength of the British Army in 1914 and in 1917 the British Army had almost a million animals on strength, with 436.000 in France.
In 1914 the British army had 507 motor vehicles of all types. By 1918 it had 22,000 trucks. (Figures from "Tommy - The British Soldier on the Western Front 1914-1918) Richard Holmes2005)

The ubiquitous General Service wagon cris-crossed from bases, depots and railheads over the entire British sector to the Front, piled high with bales of hay for the mule lines at Avuley, spools of barbed wire, sand bags, duck boards and timber for revetments of the trenches. In all weather and in all conditions of road, they trudged and rumbled with loads of 303 ammo, Mills bombs, Bully beef, hard tack, plum and apple Jam-night and day supporting the troops at every echelon.

Once it became obvious that the mud of Passchendaele was too much for the ‘GS’ MK X Wagon, even with 6 pairs of horses, the ‘GS’ MK 1 Limbers came into their own. The increased articulation was far more suited to the shell torn roads and tracks over which they were obliged to operate. As with the ‘GS’ wagons, they could be relied upon to carry virtually everything, although the design effectively reduced the actual payload which the horses could handle.

Dennis 3 Ton Lorry

Mk X GS Wagon

Mk 1 GS Wagon

1 Jan 1915	No3 Section started making canvas huts for the 11th Brigade in Ploegsteert Wood. The others were employed as before. This is our last day in the wood, for tomorrow we are to relieve No1 Section. We worked on the pathway again.
Saturday 2 Jan 1915	No1 Section stopped working for 12th Brigade, being replaced by No 2 Section. No 3 worked primarily on huts. No 4 in Ploegsteert Wood on wooden pathways, breastworks etc. We change billet at 11am and go out to work on the high command trenches at Le Touquet. Sgt Lewis is wounded in the leg.
Sunday 3 Jan 1915	No1 Section, which was now in the Company Billet in Pont De Nieppe, did pontoon drill etc. No 2, now billeted in Le Bizet worked for 12th Brigade. Nos 3 and 4 as before. We sandbag the breastworks again it is a beastly night.
4 Jan 1915	No1 Section joined No 4 for work in Ploegsteert Wood. The others worked as before. We did the same as last night, another wet night.
5-12 Jan 1915	The Sections continued to work as before. Small detachments were employed on roads and several -----? Works. No 3 Section moved to billets in Le Bizet on the 8th.Tonight I am in a loop hole party. We have a farm to put in a state of defence.
6 Jan 1915	We continue on the farm as last night
7 Jan 1915	Tonight we loop hole another farm. I stay all night so as to be able to work by daylight tomorrow
8 Jan 1915	I could not sleep it was so cold. I made numerous loop holes and returned to billet when dark.
Saturday 9 Jan 1915	Paraded at 4am and proceeded to the Railway Fort which is only 40 yds from the Germans. We strengthened the shooting gallery by sand bag revetting.
Sunday 10 Jan 1915	We continue strenthening the house
11 Jan 1915	Revetted up the communicaton trench and at dark raised a barricade where a fellow was killed this morning.
12 Jan 1915	Finished off the trench and barricade, the former fell down owing to the bank at the bank slipping away.
13-21Jan 1915	No 2 Section continued working for the 12th Brigade, assisted by portions of No1 and 3 Sections. No 3 Section worked on huts and No 4 on miscellaneous jobs in Ploegsteert Wood. Part of No1 Section assisted with the huts. I built up as far as sandbags would allow, another wall . We built in the afternoon a barricade formed of rubble in boxes round a maxim. At night we raised a wall for added protection. Elms, White and Fletcher were wounded.
14 Jan 1915	The artillery on both sides was very active, we had to stand to, as shells came very close to us. Driver Williams is fatally injured by shrapnell at our billet.
15 Jan 1915	We revetted a trench and at night heightened a barricade. The Monmouths are progressing with their mine.
Saturday 16 Jan 1915	This is our last day thank goodness. We finished off the work and returned to billet at dusk
Sunday 17 Jan 1915	The whole section had the day off. In the afternoon we had what was supposed to be a bath, it was a failure as the water was cold and dirty.
18 Jan 1915	Corporal Collins and myself have a day off as we were the only two who completed 8 days at the Fort.
19 Jan 1915	Worked in the trenches revetting them up with planks.
20 Jan 1915	Continued as yesterday.
21 Jan 1915	Rained all day got wet thro' to the skin, it was the most miserable day I ever spent.
22-31 Jan 1915	No 2 Section continued to work in 12th Brigade trenches, sending parties before dawn and withdrawing them after dark. Parties from 1 and 3 Sections assisted in this work and also worked on breastworks close behind the front line. Portions of 1 and 2 Sections worked on huts in Ploegsteert Wood. No4 Section worked on pathways etc in Ploegsteert Wood. Small detachments from various sections worked on many miscellaneous jobs. No3 provided men to run a sawmill in Armetieres throughout the month. The greater part of the work undertaken lay within the enemy's zone of fire and as a result the Company lost one man killed and six men wounded during this month. Continued revetting knee deep in water.
Saturday 23 Jan 1915	We found a drain in the trenches so it saves a lot of pumping.
Sunday 24 Jan 1915	We have a day off after a clean arms inspection.
25 Jan 1915	Continued to revet, I greatly angered the "allen" ands' by knocking their tea over.
26 Jan 1915	Had the day off as I am working tonight at the Fort for it has been badly damaged by shells. One man was killed and 5 wounded. It is the Kaiser's birthday. A spy was publicly shot yesterday.
27 Jan 1915	Owing to working last night we had the day off, that is Cpl Collins and myself.
28 Jan 1915	Tonight I am repairing a parapet on my own. I finished about midnight.
29 Jan 1915	I continued with the parapet finishing at 3am.
30 Jan 1915	Working with Cpl Jefferson's party at night revetting up a trench.
Sunday 31 Jan 1915	Elms and myself were the only two working. Both on seperate jobs. I finish at about 1am.

1-7 Feb 1915	No1 Section continued to send parties daily to work in 12th Brigade trenches. The remainder of it worked on huts etc in Ploegsteert Wood. No2 Section worked partly by day, partly by night in 12th Brigade trenches. No 3 Section worked partly in 12th Brigade trenches, partly in the sawmill etc. No4 Section worked on huts and pathways etc in Ploegsteert Wood. Worked at night sand bagging a parapet.
2 Feb 1915	My birthday - had the night off as I was working on Sunday.
3 Feb 1915	Got wet thro', fell in two holes owing to it being so dark, we finished at midnight.
4 Feb 1915	I reported sick I am feeling rotten.
5 Feb 1915	Still sick.
Saturday 6 Feb 1915	Am feeling a bit better.
Sunday 7 Feb 1915	The Section have the day off. I am alright again. We have a game of football, our side wins, I score three out of four.
8 Feb 1915	Work on the huts in Ploegsteert Wood being nearly finished all but a few men of Nos1 and 4 Sections were transferred to work on second lines trenches. Part of No3 worked on these also. The remainder worked as before.
9 Feb 1915	Work as before. Sick again.
10 Feb 1915	Work finished in Ploegsteert Wood and men working there were transferred to second line trenches. Sick
11 Feb 1915	Work as before. Sick
12 Feb 1915	Work as before. Am sent to Armentieres. My feet ache horribly.
13 Feb 1915	The Company headquarters and Nos 1 and 4 Sections moved their billets to Armentieres in the quarter near L'Attargette Bridge. The majority of the Company were now employed on the second line trenches revetting, draining and superintending infantry and civilian working parties. No2 Section provided parties to work in the first line trenches of the 12th Brigade. Detachments from the other sections worked in the sawmill, engineering works etc. Am sent to Bologne and cross over to England during the afternoon and arrive after a bit of rocking at Dover. We are taken to London to the Royal Free Hospital.(*this concludes J E Daniels diary*)
14-28Feb1915	Work continued on the above lines throughout the month. On the 18th Lt Bayly joined the Company and took command of No 4 Section on transfer from the E.Yorkshire Regt to the Royal Engineers. On (blank) Feb No2 Section exchanged duties with No4 Section.

1-31 Mar 1915

During the month the Company has been substantially on the same kind of work day after day so a daily diary has not been written. No1 Section worked daily on the section of the second line (one mile behind the front trenches), which lies between 'Essex Road' and the Le Bizet - Le Touquet Roads, our civilian working party averaging 50 men and military party averaging 100 men also being employed thereon. This section of the line is about 1200 yards long. The main line is a trench about 2' deep with a parapet adjacent making the cover up to 4' 6". Both trench and parapet are revetted and the trench is floored with wood. No2 Section worked on the section of the second line lying between the Le Touquet Road and the River Lyse, a length of about 1000 yards. Civilian and military working parties averaging about 50 men were also employed thereon, usually by night as the ground is within full view of the enemy and only 2000 yards from them. No3 Section was employed on a third section of the second line lying between 'Essex Road' and the Ploegsteert - Le Gheers Road a length of about 1500 yards, a civilian working party averaging 120 men being also employed thereon. Work was done entirely by day. No4 Section was employed almost entirely in first line trenches, breastworks, fortified buildings etc, usually in small parties. A large part of the work was in trenches that could not be reached by day. The Officer Commanding, besides his usual duties was in general charge of two mines which were constructed by detachments of miners from the Monmouth and South Lancashire Regiments. Small detachments from the sections have been employed daily on multifarious jobs. These included running a sawmill and wood yard, which during the month supplied about 50,000 Francs worth of wood to the Division, making special maxim gun mountings, repairing large numbers of pumps, making floorboards for trenches, huts etc.The horses and vehicles of the Company were kept constantly employed in carting large quantities of wood, besides sandbags, barbed wire, and other engineer stores.
Throughout this month the headquarters of the Company and No1and Nos 4 Sections have been billeted in Armentieres. Up until the 13th Nos 2 and 3 Sections billeted in Le Bizet, they then moved to Armentieres. On the 9th March Lt Bayly went home sick and Lt Atkinson took over command 4 Section. Capt Smith took over No2 Section.

1- 30 Apr 1915

During this month the Company again worked on work which differed little in nature and situation from day to day. The sections were allotted to the same sector of the front as they were in March.and had substantially the same kind of work to do. The fire trenches of the second line were completed in every detail and properly drained. The strong points in its rear were completely constructed and wired, and long communication trenches each leading back several hundred yards from the fire trenches were dug, drained and completely floored with planks. No4 Section was principally employed on miscellaneous work in the trenches and buildings at Le Touquet and flooring, screening communication trenches between Le Touquet and the second line. It and other sections provided labour as neccessary for the wood yard and workshops in Armentieres. Throughout the month the officer commanding had under his command detachments from the Monmouth and South Lanchashre Regiments, working on mines at the Railway Barricade and Le Touquet. Two mines were fired at the latter place, one on the 9th of April, being known to have caused at least 30 German casualties besides damage to their barricade and fortified buildings, and the other later in the month causing considerable damage also.
On the 29th April the Company was transferred to the 'South Midland' Division. As this Division did not, like the 4 Division which it relieved, hold any of the line south of the Railway Barricade, the work of the Company was henceforth not restricted to the district lying to the north of that place. A line running from that place and Le Bizet.
The weather throughout the month generally speaking was excellent. Throughout the month the whole Company was billeted in Armentieres, officers in the Railway Manager's house. Headquarters, No1 and 4 Sections in Rue de Progres Nos 2 and 3 Sections in Rue de Pres and about 30 horses in Pont de L'Attargatte

4 Division TRF

In WW1, 7 Field Company RE
was in 4 Division until April 1915 when they moved into 48 Division for a short period lasting up until June 1915 from whence they moved into the 50th Division for the remainder of WW1

Above: Monthly returns 'Promotions' entry for October 1914
Below: Summary of weekly field returns for October 1914

Company casualty return for March 1915 (all admissions to hospital)

1 May 1915	The Company shifted billets, Headquarters, No’s 1 and 3 Sections moved to Ploegsteert being billeted in the school. No 2 and 4 Sections billeted in a row of buildings halfway between Ploegsteert and Le Bizet. Each Section took the minimum possible number of horses with them for want of accommodation and in case of shelling. A detachment under Capt Smith remained in Armetieres (Rue De Progres) consisting of about 50 horses with their drivers and about a dozen NCOs and sappers. These latter were employed throughout the month in supervising in working on water tanks, machine gun pivoted emplacements, repairs to some scores of trench pumps, repairs to vehicles and numerous wood work jobs. The detachment also ran the wood yard and sawmill, the amount of wood pushing through these amounting to about 2 miles of scantling and planks per driver. During night of 1st May No1 Section were working on wire entanglements on N side of Hill 63. May 2nd, No 4 Section making entanglement frames. No 2 Section on miscellaneous work. May 3rd, No 1 Section wiring at night on Hill 63. No 4 Section as before with a few men also working at night. No 3 Section on miscellaneous jobs. No 2 Section repairing pumps, making small bridge, repairing roads etc.
4 May 1915	No1 Section in morning on revetting and draining of trench on Hill 63. At night wiring and entrenching near Rossignol. No4 Section had men at Nieppe, on pump repairs and the remainder making wire entanglement frames. No3 worked on roads, revetment hurdles, dug outs in first line etc. No2 had men at work on bridge, on frontline breastworks and communication trenches
5 May 1915	Works practically the same as the 4^th
6 May 1915	No 1 Section except 3 men resting. No4 Section had 2 men on pumps with CRE at Nieppe, 4 men on wire entanglements and trenches, remainder mending Messines Road. No2 had men on front trenches sapping under parapet, remainder on roads and barricades.
7 May 1915	. No1 Section draining and revetting trench on Hill 63 by day, wiring in front of it by night. No2 on dugouts and communication trenches. No3 making hurdles and repairing board walks in Ploegsteert Wood. No4 draining trenches, repairing roads and making wire entanglement frames
8 May 1915	No4 Section assisted by some of No1 Section repairing Ploegsteert Road, remainder of No1 working again at night on Hill 63. No2 Section on communication trenches and also superintending civilians working on roads. No3 as day before.
9 May 1915	All Sections resting, visited baths. Ploegsteert village shelled, six casualties in the Company, all but one being slight.
10 May 1915	No1 again working on Hill 63, part by day, part by night. No4 on roads. No's 2 and 3 on various jobs.
11 May 1915	As before.
12 May 1915	No1 as before. No2 part redraining trenches, and flooring communication trenches by day, remainder working on front line by night. No4 on roads and by night superintending working party in front line. No3 odd jobs.
13 May 1915	No1 as before. No2 flooring trenches and superintending roadwork. No3 clearing fields of fire in wood. No4 as before.
14 May 1915	No's 1 and 2 Sections plus HQ moved billets to Oostheve Farm. Work as the day before.
15 May 1915	Work as before.
16 May 1915	No's 1 and 3 working on billets. No's2 and 4 as before.
17 May 1915	No's 2 and 4 as before. No3 began to build more huts in Ploegsteert Wood. No1 again worked at Hill 63.
18 May 1915	No 1 worked on trench revetment on Hill 63 by day and barricade near Le Rossignol at night. No3 worked on huts and board walks. No2 began building an officer's hut, flooring and revetting communication trenches, superintending working parties on dugouts and roads, the work continued during the week. No1 on Hill 63 as before. No 4 on various jobs near the trenches.
19 May 1915	No3 worked on huts, boardwalks and made wider parapets. No's 1, 2 and 3 as before.
20 May 1915	As before.
21-31 May 1915	Sections generally speaking continued the same work.
	On the 10th May a searchlight Section consisting of 2 NCOs, 10 Sappers and a Driver were added to the Company, the establishment being amended accordingly. The Company was provided with six oxy-acetylene searchlights and three light wagons, plus six horses to carry the lights, it being understood that only one of these wagons and two searchlights were to be permanently with the Company.

Early First World War period British Army portable telephone set. This type of equipment was first introduced in October 1914 and became the standard telephone for the use by Infantry and Royal Artillery Forward Observation Officers. The telephone was also used as by the linesmen of the Royal Engineers' Signal Service.

German WW1 Field Telephone

1-15 Jun 1915	The company continued to work on generally the same work as the previous month, ie, trench work, revetting, boarding communication trenches, preparing billets and points d' appui near the second line etc, besides running the wood yard, sawmill and workshops as before. On June 12th those previously billeted at Ooshove Farm moved to the farm at Point 20, 3/4 mile west of Ploegsteert being joined there by Nos 2 and 4 Sections on June 15. On June 15 the Company received orders to join the 50th Division, V Corps near Vlamiertinghe
16 Jun 1915	The detachment in Armentieres joined the remainder of the Company at Point 20 in the morning. In the afternoon the Company was inspected by Brig. General J.E. Capper, Chief Engineer III Corps.
17 Jun 1915	The Company marched at 6.15 am arrived Bailleul 9 am. Paraded in the Grande Place at 0915 am for inspection by Lt. Gen. Pulteney Commanding III Corps who thanked the Company for the work done while under his command. Marched at 9.30 am Locre to a farm one mile SSW of Vlamertinghe arriving there 1.30 pm Company partly in farm, partly in billets.
18 Jun 1915	The Company remained in billets
19 Jun 1915	Received a warning to move next day so no work done outside billets.
20 Jun 1915	Company marched ay 8.30 am and joined the 151st Brigade at Ouderdoom and marched with it via Locre where they bivouaced.
21 Jun 1915	All officers visited the trenches etc near Wyjchaete, which were to be taken over by 151st Brigade.
22 Jun 1915	Company worked all day on fortified points near and in Kemmel village
23-25 Jun 1915	Work as before in Kemmel and few sappers employed in trenches.
26 Jun 1915	Company moved huts, scattered billets in Kemmel, the majority of the horses being left behind in Dranoutre.
27-28 Jun 1915	Work as before
29-30 Jun 1915	Work as before

A Christmas Truce
The year is 1914 and World war 1 has been going on for 4 months,soldiers from Germany and Britain, living in mud filled trenches suffering from the cold weather,the chill of the icy rain pouring down on them, with the rain comes the constant shell bombardment from both sides,snipers picking off their targets death is everywhere hope is nowhere.
Suddenly around 10pm after the guns had fallen silent,singing could be heard from the German trenches,
Stille Nacht! Heil'ge Nacht!
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hoch heilige Paar.
Holder Knab' im lockigen Haar,
Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!.
Christmas eve and the German soldiers were singing Carols,and after a while the Brittish joined in singing in English, for the first time in four months there was hope in the air.
Day light came on Christmas morning, the soldiers from both trenches lay aside their arms got out of the trenches and walked into no man's land, about half way between the trenches, they shook hands and exchanged cigarettes and chocolate whilst wishing each other a merry Christmas,
a soccer ball was produced and both sides played soccer this went on for a while,slowly both sides dispersed back to their own respective trenches.
the next day the shelling started again and the war was back on. The miracle of peace and goodwill to all men never meant so much as it did on Christmas day 1914.

http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/flanders/plugstreet.html

Click on the link below to see Ploegsteert Wood today - Cemeteries and the remains of Strong Points possibly built by 7 Field Company RE.

1-14 July 1915	The Company were employed on the following works for 50th Division. Rewiring with knife rest frames and barbed wire. The whole front of the 151st Brigade, strengthening the defences of Kemmel village and of several farms between it and the trenches, supervising large infantry working parties making support trenches, flooring and improving existing trenches , making timber work for dugouts etc. On the 14th the Company received a warning order to move.
15 July 1915	Work in and around billets, handing over trench works to 38th Co.
16 July 1915	Company left Kemmel at 7.45 pm arrived Dranoutre 8.45 and marched with 151st Brigade to Armentieres, arriving 1.30 am. Weather very wet.
17 July 1915	We were unable to get into our new billets at the asylum till the afternoon when the Wessex Field Co. vacated them.
18 July 1915	Officers went round the trenches between Lille Armentieres Railway and Lille Armentieres road. At night Company received orders to move to neighbourhood of Poperinghe to work directly on CE 2nd Army.
19 July 1915	Company left Armentieres at 3pm. Halted for one hour and a quarter near Ballieul for tea and arrived Poperinghe 10.15 pm where it billeted.
20 July 1915	Sections marched independently to their various billets. No1 and 2 billeted to the E of Poperinghe- West Vleteren road at three and half kilometres from Poperinghe. Headquarters and No 3 Section near to the East of Poperinghe-Woesten road three and a half km from Poperinghe. No 4 Section 2 km SW of Elverdinghe.
21 July 1915	The Company began work on a line of large defended localities, (woods,farms etc) in the neighbourhood of their billets.
22-23 July 1915	Work as before. It should have been stated that most of the horses and transport were left in a billet near Poperinghe under the Mounted Sergeant.
24 July 1915	The first digging battalion arrived for work, under the supervision of the Company.
25-26 July 1915	Work as before. Digging battalion started work.
27 July 1915	Second digging battalion arrived and started work next day.
28-31 July 1915	Work as before.

1-31 Aug 1915

Work on defended localities as last month. Some concrete machine gun emplacements made as an experiment. A 20' well sunk in locality, worked on by No 3 Section.
4th August, No 4 Section shifted bivouac and moved to a farm near No 3 Section.

1-7 Sep 1915	Work on the four strong points continued as last month. GOC 2nd Army inspected the works.
8 Sep 1915	Lt V.P.Smith RE left Company to take over temporary command of 56 Coy RE, III Division.
9 Sep 1915	Lt Cohen RE from Entrenching Bn was put in charge of VOX VRIE Wood Post. Lt Gourlay took over duties of the captain.
10 Sep 1915	Lt Tessier RE (TC) joined from base and took command of No3 Section. Lt Latham went on leave to England for 6 days.
12 Sep 1915	Major Symons went on leave to England for 6 days.
15 Sep 1915	All Sections with exception of pontoon and headquarter horses shifted billets about 800x to allow of infantry taking up winter quarters.
19 Sep 1915	Lt O. Atkinson went on 6 days leave to England
23 Sep 1915	Lt E Ashcroft went on 6 days leave to England
27 Sep 1915	The Coy received orders to join 50th Division at Armentieres. Marched at 9 pm. No4 Section complete, Searchlight Section + Lt K.I.Gourlay left to complete works the Entrenching battalions started sending large drafts of men and officers to the front thus changing the working parties considerably from day to day so hindering work. Weather very unsettled also.
28 Sep 1915	Headquarters and 3 Sections arrived at Armentieres at 6.30 am, went into billets at Ecole Professionale.
29 Sep 1915	Took over trenches 81-89 S of Lys and from Lys to x roads G4A N of Lys. Dismantled and rebuilt 2 pontoon bridges between Houplines and Armentieres.
30 Sep 1915	Preparing schemes for demolition of bridge over Lys and canal. Working in shops and huts for winter quartering and making trench stores.

1-12 Oct 1915	General work on trenches 81-89 South of River Lys including particularly making concrete machine gun emplacements and strong shelters, most of the work being on the subsidiary line. One Section making canvas roofed wooden huts for winter quarters of the Division. When in full work these were turned out at the rate of 5 huts a day, 8 men erected on an average 4 huts a day. One hut could be loaded on a trestle wagon. Each hut was to hold 20 men and had a small stove. No4 Section working on No1 strong point near Poperinghe.
13 Oct 1915	3 Sections of 126 Coy RE of the 21st Division are attached for work on the subsidiary line.
14 Oct 1915	General work on front line and other lines by day and night. Two wooden, two span bridges made to carry 5" howitzers over creeks near Le Bizet. Pontoon bridge swung to allow debris through. Ferry repaired, and a lot of screening started.
15-20 Oct 1915	Work generally as above with the addition of working and erecting several substantial screens to screen several avenues of approach from enemy view. This was rendered necessary owing to grass and weeds dying down notably on the Pont Ballot road. Trench tramway partly in wood, partly with iron rails, started to run from Houplines along the 3 roads leading to our front trenches. No4 Section returned from Poperinghe. Lieut Gourlay temporarily takes up duties of staff officer to CE 2nd Army during absence of Capt C.G. Ling RE.
20-31 Oct 1915	Work similar to the above on the front line, support line and subsidiary lines. The two large drains called respectively Suez and Panama Canals are completed. (these were started about June last year by the 70th Fd Coy RE and handed over when we came. Excavation has been done by civilian labour who were paid 5 Francs a day, working hours 4 am-2 pm, with half an hour off. 5 were wounded in the trenches) It was considered that the side of these were too steep so the last 10 days have been spent widening the top. 101 huts completed and 75 erected. Throughout the month work was delayed by the difficulty in getting infantry working parties, average number being 50 by day and an occasional party of 100 by night. The Brigade had a very long length of line to hold even when trenches N of Lys were handed over to the 25th Division early in the month (4 Oct) Schemes for demolition of 12 bridges over the Lys prepared. 2 to 3 cases of these actually prepared for demolition. In the others, the charges are prepared and stored near the site of the bridges.

1-5 Nov 1915	The Company were employed working for the 151st Brigade, 50th Division, owing to heavy rain, work on the subsidiary line was suspended and men set to revet the front parapets and parados and the communication trenches. Four of the latter were taken in hand, sumps made + revetted + pumps installed. Work was done also on the Battalion Battle Headquarters for the Centre Section and also 3 strong machine gun emplacements were worked at. About 45 men of Nos 2 & 3 Sections were employed making huts. 3 Section of the 126 Company worked with the Company.
6 Nov 1915	Lieut Tessier and 33 of 7 sent on detachment to La Creche to erect huts for 151 brigade preparatory to their going into Corps reserve.
7-11 Nov 1915	Work as during the first week of the month. Two sections of the 42nd Fd Company sent to work repairing shelters in the Support line. Trench 84 almost flooded by field drains. On the 11th one line and all work except that on huts is handed over to the 126th Company the 21st Division having relieved the 50th Division. The mines in 88 were handed over on the night of 9-10th to 64th Brigade Mining Section.
12-13 Nov 1915	Resting on the night of 12/13th. Armentieres heavily shelled by the Germans. 2 fell into officer's billets and 2 into men's billets resulting into 45 casualties, 9 killed, 36 wounded of whom 2 died during the night. 10 of these were buried in Armentieres Military Cemetery at 4pm on the 13th. (see list at end)
14 Nov 1915	Company started work for the 25th Division N of the River Lys. Billets moved from Ecole Professionel to Rue Molinel.
15-21 Nov 1915	All available men under Lt Ashcroft working on the 'Long Avenue' along Warneton railway for the 105 Coy RE. (Major Walker) Men sent into workshops to take place of three killed and wounded. On the 18th Armentieres again heavily shelled from 9.30-1, shells all round our billets but no casualties, shells up to 8 inches. Major Symons with Gen Godby CE 11 Corps visits and describes flow of drains plus previous years drainage in Ploegsteert Wood - River Lys area on 15-17th. On 18th 2 officers report 2nd Lt TA Ross from 17th Coy and 2nd Lt Baker from base to take place of Capt Gourlay (home on 2nd) and Lt Latham (home on 13th) On 19th 25 reinforcements arrive from base. Lt Atkinson took over duties of Captain.
21 Nov 1915	The Company rests
22 Nov 1915	Lts Baker and Ross working with all 4 sections on subsidiary line N of River Lys with 25 Division also on Lys and La Flaneque farms. Half Company 7th DLI (Pioneers 50 Div) in addition to 1 officer and 2 NCOs are attached to 7 Company for work and instruction.
24 Nov 1915	Lt Ashcroft went out to La Creche to join 2nd Lt Tessier.
25 Nov 1915	1 NCO and 7 men went out to La Creche to join hutting party. 2nd Lt T.A. Ross left 7th Company to join 130 Company. 2nd Lt Tessier went on short leave to England. Lt Atkinson went out to La Creche to join Lt Ashcroft. 2nd Lt Baker still working with remainder of Company on subsidiary line. The Company is divided up into the following parties: i. About 45 men - La Creche erecting huts ii About 17 men - Wood Yard - Armentieres making huts iii Remainder on subsidiary line
27Nov- 6 Dec 1915	Throughout this period the Company was working at repairing the subsdiary line N of River Lys at erecting machine gun emplacements in this area and at erecting the Divisional winter quarters, by this time most of the huts for the men were finished and the chief work in hand was the erecting of bathing establishments each consisting of 5 large huts: 1 at Steeinwercke (begun Nov 30) 2 at Outtersteenec (begun Dec2) 3 Near Strazeele (begun Dec2) The flooring of a YMCA hut at Strazeele and the erection of a YMCA hut near Steenwercke. Up to December 6 the HQ of this party was at La Creche, after that date at Outersteene. 2nd Lt Glubb joined the Company on Nov 28th. Armentieres was shelled on night of Nov 29th throughout the night. The Company suffered no casualties. 2nd Lt Tessier returned from leave Dec 5th. On this date the hutting party was increased by 23 men taking it up to over 70. Lts Atkinson and Ashcroft were in charge of this party, the remaining officers being at Armentieres. 2nd Lt Glubb Joined the Company 28 Nov 1915. (at the time, his father was the C.E of the British 2nd Army and was stationed at its HQ, Cassel, France) During his time in the Company he kept a diary, which starts from the 29th November. His diary is posted in black text together with the Company diary in blue text. 29 and 30 November: I went out with numbers 1and 4 Sections who are putting a place called La Flancque Farm in a state of defence. Here I received my baptism of fire. A few tired shells, fired at extreme range, dropped into the farm now and again. Sapper Chilvers was wounded in the head. On 30th, we were shelled from 9.30 to 10 a.m., and again in the afternoon. Armentieres - known to the troops as Armenteers has been a good deal knocked about, but the lines of streets and houses remain. A few days before I came, a shell had burst at night in a factory building where the sappers were sleeping and had killed many of them, with the result that they were now distributed round a number of cellars. On the night of the 30th, we were shelled all night at 3/4-hour intervals. The major was up all night checking the men's billets to see they were all safe. I was awake most of the night. Two or three went into the house next to the officers' billet. In the 7th Company, I found H. A. Baker, who had been in my batch at the Shop and Chatham. He was a few months older than I was and so had got to France before me . We shared a room at Armenteers . There was a shell-hole in the floor and all the windows were broken, but we were very comfortable. I hope we shan't be shifted from here. We are in Rue Jules Bleu, Armentieres. I don't know who blue Jules was, but his street has had a good dustin'g from Brother Boche. Our officers have two houses. One we eat in and the O.C., Major C. B. O. Symons, sleeps upstairs. Baker and I sleep in the other. All the windows are broken and all the ceilings leak. I saw one of our aeroplanes chase a Boche and give him machine gun fire. ·4 December: I have been given a little liver chestnut cob called Minx as my charger. I rode her today to see the work going on at La Flancque. We were shelled at lunch time and at 3pm. It rained all day. As I was riding back in the evening, the billets were shelled by a six-inch gun. 6 December: Received orders at 7.30 a.m. to march that day to Nooteboom, three kjlometres west of Bailleu!. Started at 2.30 p.m. in pouring rain, along a pave road. Thousands of passing lorries covered us all with mud. On arrival in the dark, soaked in mud and water and shivering with cold, we found the billets allotted to us were occupied by gunners. After endless complications, the gunners moved out next morning, leaving the place-a large farmyard-absolutely filthy, with straw, clothing, bottles, meat, spurs and rubbish everywhere, and a litter of puppies on the floor of the sergeants' mess. Perpetual rain, everything grey, everyone soaked.

The rear-side of the trench was known as the parados. Both the parados and the parapet (the side of the trench facing the enemy) were protected by two or three feet of sandbags. Soldiers were instructed to build the parados higher than the parapet so that the defenders were not outlined against the sky and therefore easy targets for the German snipers. The parados also protected soldiers in the front line trenches against those firing in the rear.

Cross-section of a front-line trench

British Mills Bomb WW1

6-12 Dec
1915

On the 6th December the Company left Armentieres at 1pm spending the night in 2 farms near Noote Boom, outside Bailluel. Next day the billets were further split up in the neighbourhood and the Company rested until the 13th with the exception of:
a. A party at Steenwercke erecting a bath hut & YMCA hut.
b. A party at Outersteene erecting a bath hut.
c. A party between Strazeele and Meteren erecting a bath hut.

These parties joined the Company at Noote Boom on the 11 December

8 December: I took the company horses out for exercise Marvellous - a day without rain.

9 December: It made up for yesterday by perpetual rain. Everything grey, everything soaking wet.

10 December: Exercised the horses in the rain in the morning. North of this place the country is quite hilly towards Mont des Cats and Kenimel. The country is fenced in fields in places, and there is a lot of hops on long poles. No trees, except along main roads. South of this, it is all flat and mostly under water. We are about nine miles from the front here and barely hear the guns. At night, however we can see the gun flashes lighting up the sky and a continuous succession of flare lights.
12 December: Sunday. Church parade.The first in this company for a year. Communion after the service, in a tiny room off the bar of an estaminet. The room was full of old furniture, a basket of meat, vegetables and beer.

13 -31Dec
1915

On Dec 13th the Company moved to a billet at a farm H.21.6.22 Sheet 28, near Vlamertinghe. The dismounted sections were conveyed by motor lorry, the mounted sections marched by road on the next day. Nos 1 & 2 Sections left for dug-outs at Zillebeke from which they worked in the front line. The first held by the 151st Brigade in whose area the Company worked, was from trenches A7 to B7 in Sanctuary Wood from December14- 28th. Nos 1&2 Sections remained up at Zillebeke. Their work consisted chiefly of the following:
1. Revetting and flooring the front line of the A trenches.
2. Revetting the Loop of the B trenches.
3. Revetting and defilading Gourock Road an important communication trench
4. Maintaining the trench tramway.
5. The construction of a new communication trench parallel to Gourock Road from Gordon Road to B4.
There were also various other small duties undertaken such as occur to a field Company. Nos 3 & 4 Sections at the rear billet were working as follows:
1 section reclaiming and revetting. 2, supporting points HO and HQ, behind Dickebush, and keeping in repair bridges 16 & 17 over the Ypres - Comines canal. The other section was working in the billet, erecting stables, making floor boards etc for the billet and for the trenches. On Dec19th the enemy made a gas attack on our left and shelled Zillebeke heavily in the early morning, and intermittently throughout the 19th and 20th. One dug-out was hit but no casualties occurred. In the front line, two large craters were made in B4 and one in Gourock Road, and a good deal of minor damage was done by whizz - bangs: Zillebeke St and Dormy House Lane were blown in a large number of places. On Dec 20th Major C.B.O. Symons DSO RE commanding 7 Coy received two shrapnel bullets in the left thigh and was sent to hospital. At the same time 2nd Lt Glubb was hit by shrapnel in the left big toe, but remained at duty, 2nd Lt Tessier relieved 2nd Lt Glubb at Zillebeke, temporarily taking command of No1 Section. Lt Atkinson temporarily took command of the Company. Nos 1 & 2 Sections returned to the rear billet on Dec 28th, and Nos 3 & 4 Sections relieved them at Zillebeke, work continuing as before. Attached is a lot of casualties etc for month of December.

13 December: A convoy of lorries took us to Vlamertinghe, two miles west of the notorious town of Ypres; We are billeted in a large farm a little distance south of Vlamertinghe. The horses and wagons followed by road.The farms in this part of Flanders are nearly all built to one design, round a square yard, which was almost entirely filled by a huge manure heap.The house formed one side of the square, and the other three consisted of large barns.
Our Vlamertinghe farm was on this design. The family, consisting of Monsieur and Madame Heugebaart and two daughters, occupied part of the house and our officers the other part. The troops lived in the barns. The 7th Field Company belongs to the 50th Northumberland and Durham Territorial Division. Although we are a regular company, such intermixtures of units are now fairly common. The division is to take over a sector in the notorious Ypres salient.

14 December: Numbers 1 and 2 sections commanded by me and Baker respectively, moved up today to Zillebeke. We are a little way behind the front line trenches, and are badly overlooked by the Germans, both from the east of Sanctuary Wood, and from Hills 59 and 60 on the south. The village is completely in ruins. All the destroyed villages in the Ypres salient are full of horrors, with dead men and animals barely covered with earth, lying about everywhere.
Every shattered fragment of a house is full of filth, old clothes, rags and bedding, left behind by the original inhabitants when they fled, and since used for sleeping on or torn up to dress wounds. Everything is soaked with rain, blood and dirt. Strewn around are thousands of half-empty jam or bully-beef tins, the contents putrefying, together with remains of rations, scraps of bone and meat. There is no living thing visible but rats, big brown rats, who themselves are often mangy, and who barely trouble to get out of your way.
Baker' and I live in a tiny shelter about the size of a large dinner table -nine feet by twelve . It is built under the ruiris of a house, which thus forms a deep layer of bricks and rubble on top of it. It is built of sandbags and corrugated iron and is only five feet high, so you have to enter almost on all fours. The men of our two sections are in a number of similar timber and corrugated iron shelters under the houses along the village street. It is pitch dark day and night in our shelter.

15 December: Today we started work in the front line trenches which are still held by the 9th Division, a senior Kitchener's Army division. My section is working on the left battalion front in Sanctuary Wood, held by the 10th Argyles. Baker is working on the right battalion front. We, the sappers, have moved in before our division. The 50th Division infantry will take over in the next day or two.
The 9th Division was one of the few K Divisions which did well at Loos. The Argyles went into that battle 960 strong, with 22 officers. They came out 200 strong with 4 officers, and are little better even now, and what reinforcements they have had have been almost untrained.

16 December: The work on which we are employed is almost entirely repairing, rebuilding and sandbagging the trenches.The Germans shell them by day and we sappers go up and rebuild them by night. The German trenches are only twenty -five yards from our front line.

17 December: We began work in the trenches as usual, but were all sent away at 12 noon, because the gunners wanted to have a beano on the German trenches.The two front lines are so close, that this means evacuating our front trenches while the gunners shoot.

18 December: Again sent back from the front trenches to allow the artillery to bombard . All serious work is impossible in the short intervals between strafes.
Brigade Headquarters are a few hundred yards behind us at the east end of Zillebeke Lake. I went down there, when the take-over was going on. The brigade commander of our brigade-151 (called one-five-one) Brigade-saw me and asked who I was. When I identified myself, he looked at me and said 'How old are you?' 'Eighteen, sir,' I replied. Turning to his Brigade Major, he said, 'By Jove! that's the age to go to war!'
We have been in expectation of an enemy gas attack for the last ten days. Warning was given by a Russian prisoner, whom the Germans were working in their front line and who escaped.
19 December: We were woken at 5.30 a.m. by the loud krump of a shell bursting close by. Others followed in quick succession and, from 5.30 to 6.15 a.m., Zillebeke was plastered with shells of every calibre from field artillery to about nine-inch. At the same time, there was a beastly, smell of gas, and we were all weeping at the eyes. I dodged out of our shelter and ran along to check the men's shelters, but none had been hit. There was a battery of our field gunners just behind us, who started up also, and the noise was indescribable. Peeping out of our dugout, I could see the Boche krumps bursting one after the other in Zillebeke Street communication trench. At about 6.15, the Boche lengthened his range and we could see the bursts above Brigade Headquarters and Zillebeke Lake. We did not know if there had been an infantry attack, but at 7.5 a.m., we received a message from Brigade Headquarters to stand fast in Zillebeke. During the morning there was a lot of air-fighting overhead and a good deal of Archie fire, making white blobs in the sky like cotton wool. The company commander, Major C.B.O. Symons, arrived from Vlamertinghe to see if we were still alive, and I went up with him to the front line. Surprisingly little damage had been done, and the Argyles had only twenty casualties. There was no infantry attack, but shelling continued all day on both battalion fronts, and on the l7th Division next to us. I went up at night with my section to repair Gourock Road Trench, which had been damaged by shellfire. We were badly shelled by 'whizz-bangs'. This name is given to the German field artillery, which fires bursts of high velocity shells into our trenches at intervals. They come in violent tornadoes suddenly, whizz-whizz-whizz-bang-bang-bang whizz-bang-whizz-bang! Ceased work early, as it was almost impossible to do anything owing to the shelling. Sanctuary Wood is connected to Zillebeke village by a long communication trench called Zillebeke Street. When we knocked off work, and came out of Maple Copse, a lot of heavy krumps were falling on Zillebeke Street. I accordingly sent the sappers back by Dormy House Lane. I went on down Zillebeke Street. I found a man of the D.L.I. (Durham Light Infantry) lying in the trench with a broken thigh. I and Sergeant Frankenburg, two sappers and a D.L.I.sergeant carried the man to the dressing station in Maple Copse. The poor fellow's thigh was smashed and he suffered agony with every movement. He kept crying 'No! No! I can't! O God, leave me alone!' But the D. L. I. sergeant would say to him, 'Hold on, Jack! You're all right! Remember you're a soldier, Jack!' It was a nasty trip, as there were lots of heavy krumps falling all around at first, but then it became quiet and the shelling stopped. I returned home and tried to sleep, but there were lots of krumps falling around in Zillebeke without a pause until 5.30 a.m. The Boche must have heard that the 50th Division were taking over last night. There was some beautiful artillery shooting by him on Zillebeke Street communication trench. There. were several new 6-inch shell craters round our house in Zillebeke, but no one was hit.
20 December: Was a quiet morning in Zillebeke. I stayed in the, dugout and tried to get some sleep, as I had none last night. The major came up from Vlamertinghe and I went up to the trenches with him in the afternoon. We went round the right battalion front with Colonel Jeffreys of the 6th Durhams, who had. taken over during the previous night. We were standing in the front line trench, when a whizz-bang burst in the middle of the group. Obviously sniping. They probably saw Colonel Jeffreys, who is a very tall man. The shell killed three men instantly. I heard someone say, 'Are you hit, sir?' and Colonel Jeffreys answer, 'I am afraid I am.' Symons, my own O.C., was lying on the floor of the trench with a wound in his thigh. I ran down the trench to get stretcher-bearers, and had Symons carried to the dressing station in Maple Copse. Poor old man! We shall not get such a good O.C. again, I am afraid. The Boches have been whizz-banging for two days, and the dressing station, a dugout in Maple Copse, was crammed with wounded. The doctor dressed Symons' wound, which seemed to be a nasty one. One poor devil there had had his arm taken clean off at the shoulder by a direct hit from a whizz-bang. He was talking cheerfully. 'Those bloody guns haven't stopped for forty-eight hours,' he said. I remember an old story that Lord Uxbridge was sitting on his horse beside Wellington at Waterloo, when suddenly
he exclaimed, 'By God! I have lost my leg!' The Duke glanced down at him and said, 'By God! So you have!' and carried on with the battle! I always thought this an absurd story, but today I realized that it was probably true. A direct hit on a limb so shatters the nerves that the victim feels no pain. My left foot had felt numb since the shell burst, but I had been too preoccupied to notice it much. Now I looked down at it and saw that there was a gash in my gumboot and that blood was coming out. I asked the doctor to have a look at it, and he cut off my boot, and told me that my big toe was smashed up and must have been hit by a shell fragment . He tied it up and gave me a tetanus injection. I hobbled back down Zillebeke Street to our dugout.
21December: Occasional shelling during the night. I hopped up to Maple Copse to get my toe dressed, and then stayed still the rest of the day . I don't want to be sent back and leave the men in the line. This place is full of mice inside our dugout and of rats outside. A former poetic occupant of this dugout has written the following poem on a beam supporting the roof.

Come, comrades, now, get on parade, Fall in the pick and shovel brigade,
The day has come, there's work to be done,
And a trench to be dug with a spade.
Through the dust and clatter of Ypres town,
Where the seventeen-inch come shattering down,
Spewing death
With their fiery breath,
On the red, red road to Hoage.

22December: I got a letter today from Mum 'with a good rhyme in it.
In beauty I am not a star,
There are others more handsome by far,
But my face I don't mind it, For I am behind it,
The people in front get the jar!
22 -24 December: Spent the days quietly in the dugout, hopping up to Maple Copse once a day to have my toe dressed. Dad suddenly turned up on 23rd. On 24th, I came down at night in the forage cart to the company headquarters near Vlamertinghe.

25 -31 December: In the rear billets . I spent the day sitting quite still and fomenting my toe. I was rash enough to write to Mum from Zillebeke to ask for food parcels. Now I've got them! About six parcels a day! I write now imploring them to cease but in vain. I expect we shall soon be reported buried alive. The alternative is that the postal system may suffer that fate first.

Company Reinforcements, Promotions, Reversions, Transfers & Casualties for Oct, Nov, Dec 1915 Click on the thumbnails below for

7 Field Company Royal Engineers War Diary 1914-1915

King George V
cap badge was worn during this period

The above cap badge was made for economical reasons during 1916 and darkened to reduce glare

The above badge was also solid for economical purposes and mass produced

The Roman Numeral V is between the G & R on the Royal Cypher

http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/flanders/plugstreet.html

For photos and information on Ploegsteet Wood where 7 Field Company RE did various work in 1914 &1915 Click on link

Roll of Honour 7 Field Company RE 1914-1915

Rank & Name	Regimental Number	Cause of Death	Date
Dvr Hawkins, Arthur	20189	D.O.W	04.11.1914
Pnr Dillingham,Edwin, Elliot	255511	D.O.W	12.11.1915
Spr Dunton , Leonard	44000	K.I.A	12.11.1915
Spr Goodall, Archibald	24429	D.O.W	30.11.1915
Spr Gray, Harry, Raymond	31266	K.I.A	12.11.1915
Spr Jamieson, Arthur	7841	Died	15.02 1915
Spr Lawler, Thomas	15886	K.I.A	12.11.1915
Spr Matthews, E.C	1938	K.I.A	09.05 1915
Acting 2nd Cpl McLaughlin, William	18393	K.I.A	13.11.1915
Spr Morris, W.A	17702	K.I.A	12.11.1915
Spr O'keefe, Michael, Joseph	18448	K.I.A	01.07.1915
Lcpl Ollett, Arthur, Joseph	17352	K.I.A	12.11.1915
Spr Pain, George, William	2877	Died at Sea	17.11.1915
Spr Pape, George	12930	K.I.A	12.11.1915
Spr Sharman, John, William	20382	D.O.W	04.06.1915
Spr Sparkes, Maurice, Henry	32931	K.I.A	12.11.1915
Spr Street,Horace	28640	K.I.A	12.11.1915
Spr Vaughan,Sydney,Joshua	17434	K.I.A	12.11.1915
Dvr Wlliams,Arthur,Leonard,Fiske	256872	D.OW	08.01.1915

7 Field Company RE Campaigns & Battles 1915

Armentieres to Ypres - Autumn 1915

2nd Lieutenant J. Glubb RE

2nd Lt J. Glubb was commisioned in the Royal Engineers 20 April 1915 at just eighteen years old. He was posted to Aldershot until he was 18 years and six months old, the minimum age requirement to go to war. He sailed from Southampton on 24 November 1915 to Le Harve in France, from where he took a 40 mile train journey to Rouen. A most uncomfortable journey that took 71/2 hours with many stops and when they did, the carriages banged into each other as they had no brakes. At Rouen he reported to the RE Depot on the Champ de Courses. On the 27 November he received orders posting him to 7 Field Company RE. He entrained for Steenwerke, a 100 mile journey that took another agonising 19 hours. He was met at the railway station with a Forage Cart and horse and taken to Armetieres.
At this time, his father was the C.E of the newly formed British Second Army with it's HQ in Cassel, France.

World War 1 A Day in the Trenches

Apart from dodging bullets and avoiding death from enemy shells, there was a daily routine in the trenches of World War 1.
It started 1 hour before dawn with the morning "stand to" the men were roused from sleep and sent to the "fire step", with bayonets fixed to their rifles to be on guard for a dawn raid by the enemy. Many raids were carried out at dawn by both sides although it was common knowledge that the opposing armies were both preparing to deal with them.
As the first light of day approached machineguns, shells, and even handguns would be fired toward the enemy trenches. Some people said that this was to test the weaponry. Others said it was to relieve the tension, and others said it was to ward off a dawn raid. Whatever the reason the first hour of the soldier's day became known, as "The morning hate."
After the "Stand to" rum was issued to the soldiers who would be cleaning their rifles, before an inspection by senior officers.
Then it was time for breakfast, unofficially breakfast time was a time of truce between both sides, both sides respected this truce for most of the time, but it was broken now and again when a senior officer heard about it and put his foot down ordering the men to open fire on enemy lines. .
After breakfast the soldiers would face an inspection by their commanding officer, this was followed by the daily chores, each man would be given a specific chore. Daily chores included the refilling of sandbags, the repair of the duckboards on the floor of the trench and the draining of trenches, repairing the trenches and preparing the latrines.
During the rest of the day movement was restricted in the trenches, snipers and lookout posts from either side constantly watched the front lines and shots would be fired at the first sign of movement. Soldiers used this time to catch up on some much needed sleep write letters to their sweethearts and home and some soldiers spent the time producing ornaments and useful items from used shell and bullet casings, these items are very popular these days and are sold as trench art.
With dusk came the second "Stand to" of the day. Soldiers would be sent to the fire step as darkness approached in preparation for surprise attacks. With the darkness of the night the trenches came to life, men were sent to fetch vital food, water, and maintenance supplies whilst others were sent to the fire step for sentry duty.
2 hours was the limit for the soldiers on the fire step before they were replaced, in case the men fell asleep, if a man fell asleep at the fire step the punishment would be death by firing squad.
Patrols into no-mans land would also be carried out under cover of darkness, to repair breaks in the barbed wire and some were sent out as "Listening posts" hoping to over hear information from the enemy.
Sometimes enemy patrols would meet in No Man's Land. They were then faced with the option of hurrying on their separate ways or else engaging in hand to hand fighting.
They could not afford to use their handguns whilst patrolling in No Man's Land, for fear of the machine gun fire it would inevitably attract, deadly to all members of the patrol.
The cover of darkness also allowed the frontline troops to be changed over, those who had completed their tour of duty would be swapped over with fresh troops.
Then it was time to start the daily routine again with the morning "stand to"

Environs of Zillebekke December 1915

During this period and up until between WW1 & WW2 the Company was known as
"The Black Horse", following that, then became known as "The Shiny 7"

For a complete map of the Western Front 1914-1918 and more information on the battles that took place. Click on the link:
http://www.greatwar.co.uk/battles/#maubeugestquentin

The BEF retreating from Mons to the River Marne1914.
7 Field Company RE can be seen manning the Marne Pontoon Bridge that they built together with 9 Field Company.
(near the end of the film)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl0GzdcUde0

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/western_front/index_embed.shtml

About trench warfare: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_warfare

A short clip on the BEFretreat from Mons to the Marne (1.30)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Egu3JthxJ94)

Longer version

Line of Fire: The retreat from Mons to the Marne (48:40) The Marne pontoon bridge is shown near the end

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl0GzdcUde0

Field Marshal Sir John French's third despatch: http://www.1914-1918.net/french_third_despatch.html

Line communication equipment Set D mark 111 portable telephone set

German WW1
Hand Grenades

NCOs and the Officer Commanding 7 Field Company RE Shorncliffe 1914

Major Symons was seriously wounded by shrapnel from a shell while visiting the trenches at Sanctuary Wood on the 20 December 1915. Three others in the group were killed.(infantry) Lt Glubb received a shrapnel wound in his big toe

Mons Rimbaud the interpreter is seen at
the back near centre