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| 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 |
| VRAUCOURT | 1st | Bn still in line occupying right subsection - Day fine - quiet. | |
| 2nd | Bn relieved by 4th South Staffs – relief completed by midday. | ||
| 3rd | Cleaning up & coy inspections – Col Birt went on 3 days course to R.F.C. | ||
| 4th | Cleaning up billets – Xmas Day festivities held today – Day quiet. | ||
| 5th | Heavy gunfire between 5.30 and 6.30am. | ||
| 6th | Church parade – Special Intercession Service – Quiet – fine. | ||
| 7th | Practice attack by A Coy on pillboxes. Other coys range & coy training. | ||
| 8th | Practice attack by A & C coys on pill box - Brigadier & A/B Major present. Operation done in blizzard – other coys - coy training & Baths. | ||
| 9th | B coy practice attack on pill boxes – wild weather – Aeroplane from [blankspace] squadron compelled to land owing to blown out cylinder – 2 officers [S/????] & [??] [holiday?] | ||
| 10th | Working party on [long blank space on diary entry] of men – New Chaplain for 2 S. Lancs & 8 Border Rev Capt Scott came to lunch. | ||
| 11th | Usual coy parades – Wild & unsettled weather. | ||
| 12th | Divl Staff Officer of Staff Corps visited camp & promised 2 extra huts for men, 2 for officers, & 3 cookhouses. | ||
| 13th | Church Parade. Coys 1 hour ceremonial – cold & wet in morning. | ||
| LAGNICOURT | 14th | Bn relieved 4th South Staffs in line. Relief complete 7.30am. Cold & dry. Lecture by CO to officers & NCOs – A coy left. B coy R. C left support. D right support. | |
| 15th | Work continued on new cook houses for 2 front line coys (under REs) Also sinking of well. Day fine & sunny to rain later. | ||
| 16th | Trenches in shocking condition – much falling in during night. – Day wet & misty – frost in evening turning to rain about midnight. | ||
| 17th | Work on cook house temporarily abandoned – torrential rain. | ||
| 18th | Unsettled weather in morning poor visibility. | ||
| 19th | Unsettled weather. Enemy artillery active on A coys sector & around Bn HQrs on sunken road. 3 men wounded by shell at Bn Hdqrs. | ||
| 20th | Fine morning unsettled in afternoon. Quiet. Vicinity of Bn Hdqrs occasionally shelled. Bn relieved by 2nd Bn South Lancs and moved into support. | ||
| 21st | One coy (D) in support to right Bn. one coy (C) in support to left Bn. Both coys at tactical disposal of our front line Bn. No casualties during relief.Remaining two coys employed in clearing trenches of left Bn and carrying timber from RE dump for tunnelling coy. | ||
| 22nd & 23rd | Employed clearing trenches. | ||
| 24th | One company working with tunnelling coy. One coy carrying for Res. Remaining two companies employed cleaning & clearing up communication support trenches. | ||
| 25th | — do — [ditto] | ||
| 26th | Relieved in support by 4th Bn South Staffs Regt and moved back into reserve. Quiet relief. Enemy sent some tear shells into vicinity of LARNICOURT. | ||
| 27th | Bn found working parties amounting to 332 men digging & wiring. Church service in camp in afternoon. | ||
| 28th | 332 men on digging, wiring, remainder on improvements to camp. | ||
| 29th | — do — — do — — do — | ||
| 30th | — do — — do — — do — | ||
| 31st | — do — — do — — do —
[Signed] CWH Birt, Lt-Col.
1/2/18 Comdg 8th 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.