| 8th Border Regiment War Diary Transcriptions (1915-1918) The National Archives WO/95/2251
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Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 1915 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||||||
| 1916 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 1917 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 1918 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||||
| Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events |
| RED LODGE | 1st | The Battn still holding front line trenches. Parties from XI Cheshire Regt sent up during the morning & afternoon to assist in repair of parapets. | |
| 2nd | The front line occupied by B Coy was shelled during the morning between 11 & 12, no damage or casualties. | ||
| 3rd | Quiet day, nothing to report. | ||
| 4th | No working parties were supplied by the XI Cheshires. The repairs to the subsidiary line were carried out by A coy. | ||
| 5th | The Battn was relieved by the 2th Battn [Wilts?] during the morning and afternoon, and moved to [subsector?] in Plogsteert Wood. Batt HQ were situated at [Curlew?] Farm, A Coy at Touquet Berthe. B & C Coy at Ploegsteert Hall and D Coy in Fat line. | ||
| 6th | The day was given up to cleaning of equipment and baths. | ||
| 7th | Training was carried out under company arrangement. | ||
| 8th | D Coy in the front line was relieved by C Coy. | ||
| PLOEGSTEERT | 9th | Training was continued under company arrangements. | |
| 10th | The Battn relieved XI Cheshires in front line trenches. C Coy on the left. B Coy in the centre and A on the right. D coy in support line. The XIII Cheshires on our left and 8th S. Lancs on our right. | ||
| 11th | Work was carried out in repairing parapets and repairing trenches. | ||
| 12th | Quiet day nothing to report. | ||
| 13th | B Coy was relieved by C coy in the centre of the line. | ||
| 14th | The Brigadier inspected the line during the morning. | ||
| 15th | Quiet day nothing to report. | ||
| 16th | Battn relieved by XI Cheshire Regt. The regt. went into huts at ROMARIN on being relieved. | ||
| 17th | Battn cleaning equipment & clothing. | ||
| ROMARIN | 18th | The Battn was exercised in Company training. Physical exercises & bayonet fighting. | |
| 19th | One Company (A) proceeded to Meteren to undergo instruction in wiring. The remaining 3 companies practiced wiring at Romarin. | ||
| 20th | The regiment was inspected by Gen. Sir Douglas Haig during the morning. | ||
| 21st | The Battalion had a route march under company arrangement distance 7 half miles. | ||
| 22nd | The Battalion relieved XI Cheshires during the morning in the front line trenches. The XII Cheshires on our left and 8th South Lancs on the right. C Coy on left of line. D in centre and A on the right. B coy being in support. During the afternoon A coy was shelled by the enemy considerable damage being done. | ||
| TRENCHES | 23rd | A coy was again subject to considerable shellfire, also heavy trench mortar & aerial torpedoes. 1 man was killed[1] and one wounded. A great deal of damage was inflicted on our parapets. | |
| 24th | A quiet day with the exception of intermittent shelling on our right. A Coy was temporarily relieved by C Coy. | ||
| 25th | A Coy again took its place on the right of the line. A successful raid was carried out by the XI Cheshire Regt. on the German line opposite the front held by A coy. The artillery barrage opened at 8.30am and almost immediately the party of XI Cheshires entered the German trenches. They came back with the loss of only one man killed. They killed a considerable number of the enemy and brought back one prisoner. Our casualties were 8 men wounded 5 seriously. | ||
| 26th | The companies were engaged in repairing the parapets damaged by the German artillery fire. We had one man badly wounded. | ||
| 27th | A quiet day. Very little shelling from either side. Our casualties were one man seriously wounded (since died)[2] | ||
| 28th | The battalion was relieved in the front line by the XI Cheshire Regt. A Coy at Touquet Berthe, B coy in fat line, C & D at Ploegsteert Hall. | ||
| 29th | The new draft 270 men were inspected during the morning. The remainder of the Battn engaged in cleaning up. | ||
| 30th | Detachment of new draft paraded during the morning for drill & exercises. Working parties furnished by remaining companies. The Battn was practiced in a night alarm. | ||
| 31st | Church parade in the morning. B coy relieved D Coy in the front line.
[Signed] P Strahan, Major
Cmdg 8th Batt Border Regt. |
References / notes
- National Archives Catalogue Reference: WO/95/2251
- The transcription above is available under the National Archives Open Government Licence for public sector information.
- War diary made available by M. Deacon and transcribed by P. Bramham.