258304 Harry Slater Royal Naval Divison 6th (Howe) Battalion from:Bradford Harry Slater was in the 6th. Howe Battalion, 2nd Royal Naval Brigade, 63rd (Royal Naval) Division Said he was at Lille and the Siege of Antwerp in Sept 1914. He was with 2nd Field Ambulance, RAMC on Lemnos then 3rd (RN) Field Ambulance, RAMC in France.
From my grandfather's diary, the only parts we can decipher is as follows:
- 1916 was on Lemnos supporting the end of the Gallipoli Campaign. At Mundros and Portanos.
- 18 May 1916 sailed back to France on the Franconia
- 23 May arrive Marseille at 2pm
- 52 hours in cattle truck on railway to Channel Coast. 30 carriages and 10 cattle trucks. 30 in our truck.
- 24 May through Rhone Valley, Valence at 5am, Lyon at 9am, Dijon, Les Laumes Alesia. Rainy and wet.
- 25 May along the River Seine, bypass Paris and saw Eiffel Tower, Deauville and iron works, Juvisy, Versailles, St Germaine, 4.30pm Amiens and left train at 6.30pm at Pont Remy station.
- 26 May-Wanel near Hallencourt Sleeping in haylofts and farmhouses. Hallencourt is where the 2nd Field Ambulance is. Dad in 3rd Field Ambulance at Wanel.
- 16 June Marched via Pont Remy to Abbeville. Rail to Bruay via St Pol heading in the direction of the front.
- 17 June Force-marched.
- 18 June La Thieuboye near St. Pol. In a barn.
- 24 June Battle obviously at Arras. Plenty of air activity.
- 1 July Marched through Villers and St. Venant (Arras) Timberwork and preparation.
- 9 July Walked to Haverskerque. Drunken Australians. Merville.
- 21 July Loading at Nieppe Station.
- 22 July Via Lillers by London bus to Busnes. Coal Mine Area.
- 8 August March to trenches. Badly damaged village with church, brewery. Advance Dressing Station.
- 11th August 1916, he wrote in his diary: I finished my birthday, 21st, up in the trenches. Being one of a party of night workers on a bearer post. The position would be some 100 yards from the enemys position and rifle and machine gun bullets were whistling overhead. We were working on top most of the time.
- 15 August Marched back to Field Ambulance Base.
Very little written between 15 August and 18 September
- 18 Sept Moved to nearby Bruay
- 4 October Leave Bruay
- 5 October arrive Parennes about noon
- 21 Oct Cookery advanced dressing station.
- 2 November Agincourt
- 13 November reported Beamont Hamel in our hands.
His normal very full diary became very short in content for the August/December period but on 13 November he recorded: Bombardment at 5-40. Boys over.
Go up to old first line. Bob Brand hit. Cpl Dunkley sniped.
1st near shave Sniper.
2nd near shave Shell.
14 November he recorded: Shell hit bearer post. 3rd near shave.
- Surgeon Forester killed
- Surgeon Walker killed
- Chap RB killed
- Tommy Johnson killed
- Scales killed
- Cpl Ted Nelson killed
- Harold Knight killed
- Cheetham killed
- RB Bearer killed
- RB Patient killed
- Albert Gill wounded
- J Lamb wounded
- Alf Nelson wounded
18 November Leave in buses and stop at Beauval.
19 November Hougencourt
21 November March to Agincourt.
22 November Then to Noulette.
23 November To Lamotte.
24 November Back to Noulette.
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