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The Wartime Memories Project - The Great War - Day by Day
6th March 1915On this day:
- Requisitioning
- In Billets
- First loss for 7th Sherwoods
- In Reserve 1st Herts are in Corps Reserve at Vendin.
War Diary of the 1st Battalion Hertfordshire Regiment
- 3rd Monmouths training in the front line Private James B. Bowes, 3rd Monmouths of Wargrave, writing home, gives some picturesque details of life at the front. The following are extract from his letter, which appeared in the Newton and Earlestown Guardian on 19 th March 1915 :-
"We do four days in the trenches, then come back for four days' rest. The firing line is about eight miles away. The other day we had our pay, and we are now spending it. I and two others go down to a small farm. French woman; eight children; husband a captain in the French army. There we have what we can get - café-au-lait, bread and butter, and eggs. As the eggs are 3d. each, there is, of course, more bread than eggs. Everything is very dear; penny chocolate is 2d. bread 8d. a loaf, butter 2s. per lb. At night we are able to get chips. Most of the houses and "pubs" or "estaminets" are wrecked, and so are the churches and farms, but the people are coming back to the places they left. Nearly every farmer here has two or three Belgian refugees employed. Dirty farms, very, compared with English. Sanitation is not considered here, anywhere. Good job it is winter and not summer.
I have moved my little bed from the loft with the battered roof down to the cow-shed, and I am sleeping with a long row of cows about three yards from me. It is better, as there was no roof over my head before. The socks will be very welcome, as my feet are always wet. Although my boots are good, they get sodden. For the trenches we have rubber jack boots, so they are alright.
The other night some of our chaps in getting to the trenches had to climb over an obstacle. One of them was holding up his hand in the dark to be pulled up by his mate, when he grasped what he found by the touch was the hand of a chap who had been covered up; - one who had "gone on". They are very plentiful, and you see different parts sticking out of the soil. The Germans, if you shoot one of them, will signal a "bull" with a spade and shortly afterwards will throw the body over. It acts as a sandbag, and helps stop bullets.
I am longing for the time when we will be coming back. Tell O. to fill the pantry, but she needn't get any jam in, or biscuits, at any rate not "Army No.4" 4 in. by 4 in. by ¾ in. "bullet proof". I am "in the pink", and could eat ten Germans - not to mention killing. Glad to hear Ernie is all right at Pembroke Dock. I expect he will be out here soon."
Private No. 2155 James B. Bowes,
3rd. Monmouthshire Regiment
The Territorials found themselves side by side with professional soldiers of the most highly trained army in the world. They were given help, encouragement and support and it was never forgotten that they were raw troops.
- 2nd Queens in billets
- 6th South Staffs entrain
- 5th Leicesters under instruction
- Resignation
- 5th Lincs on the March
- We are not Downhearted
- In the Trenches
- Casualties
- Casualties
- On the Move
- Demonstration
- Instruction
- Working Parties
- Instruction
- Reliefs
- On the Move
- Orders
- Training
- Orders
- Orders
- On the Move
- On the Move
- Reliefs
- No Hostile Patrols
- Enemy firing continuously
- Reliefs
- Reliefs
- Working Parties
- Battalion training and Bayonet fighting.
- Working Party
- Contested Wood
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Killed, Wounded, Missing, Prisoner and Patient Reports published this day.
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Want to know more about 6th of March 1915? There are:35 items tagged 6th of March 1915 available in our Library These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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