Off to France - February 1917

Sling Camp Range. Credit National Army Museum of New Zealand

Lance left Sling camp on the 11th of February bound for Etaples, France where he remained for a few months before posting to the front line.

1st Thursday - Marking on the range all day, snowing hard all morning. First draft of the 18th Reinforcements leave for France tonight 55 men of 1st Auckland to go in the second draft by the 11th of this month.

2nd Friday - Marking on range all day today, snowfall in the morning very cold. Paid £1 this evening, leave for four days, off tomorrow morning. Rolled coats and belts. Boys excited.

"Expected to leave for France very soon, no good. "

3rd Saturday - Left Bulford 9:30AM, arrived Waterloo station about quarter past one. Had dinner then took walk along Westminster Bridge as far as Westminster Abbey. Got home to Wimbledon, arrived at Mrs Bishop's around four PM. Took a walk into Wimbledon in the evening. Paper tonight said America had severed diplomatic relations with Germany. Also rumoured there has been a fight in North Sea. Extremely cold in Wimbledon.

Bulford train Station. Photo David Pearson. Retrieved from https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/60s/630323re.html

4th Sunday - Went for a walk around Wimbledon common. Saw the skating on the pond, then stayed in all afternoon went to Wesleyan Church in the evening. About one inch of snow on the ground, very cold.

5th Monday - Had a kip on London Omnibus Underground tube railway. Oscillating stairway, lift down to tube. Electric railway from Wimbledon to Waterloo through Saint Paul's Cathedral, The Strand Piccadilly and Cheapside. Went to the pictures in the evening at Wimbledon and fell asleep.

6th Tuesday - Stayed inside all day writing letters. A terrible lot of snow about and very cold, coldest for sixteen years. (The records for this period of weather stated that in London in the second week of February, that the temperature failed to rise about minus 1.5°C.) Left Waterloo 10 minutes to 10 and arrived in camp very sorrowful 15 minutes to 2AM tired out.

7th Wednesday - Bull Ring all morning, very sad and tired. Oversea kit inspection in the afternoon. Expected to leave for France very soon, no good.

8th Thursday - Route March, in the morning, on fatigue all afternoon digging ditches in the frozen grounds. Very solid it was too. The snow is about four inches deep on the ground and the cold is something awful. (Again, the records showed that the minimum temperature on the night of the 7th/8th was minus 10°C).

9th Friday - Extended order drill all the morning. Bayonet drill and square drill in afternoon. Pay night tonight, received eight shillings. May leave for France tomorrow night. Had supper in the YMCA.

10th Saturday - Interior Economy all morning scrubbing out huts. Route March afternoon then came back early on account of so many men falling out with sore feet. O.C. told us that we leave for France tomorrow night. Sent following letters:

Auntie NZ

Philip [Hayward, Lance's future brother in-law]]

Mr Hayward [Edward Hayward, future father in-law]

Mum

Gladys [possibly Gladys Hayward, sister of Phillip]

Winifred

Mrs Bishop

11th Sunday - Getting ready to leave for France. Packing valise, handing in rifle. Doctors examination etc. Leave tonight 11:40PM supper at 10, then 3 mile walk to Bulford station then train to port unknown at present.

12th Monday - Arrived in Folkstone 6AM and stayed in Barracks until 2PM. Marched to steamer and arrived in Bolougne at 5PM [then] marched to rest camp and stayed in till next morning slept in tents 12 men in tents raining all night cheese and Bully B. (Bully B stands for Bully Beef which was a British Army staple, tinned minced cornbeef with gelatine).

A troop ship leaving Folkstone. No copyright infringement is intended

13th Tuesday - Left Bolougne about 12PM then arrived at Etaples about 3PM. Got rifles. Nothing to do all rest of day. Sleeping in bell tents, three blankets, tucker rather short, 12 men in each tent with all our gear so not much room.

14th Wednesday - Reveille quarter to six then breakfast. Kit inspection morning and medical inspection in afternoon. Finished for the rest of the day, canteen in the evening. Getting tangled with the French money.

15th Thursday - Bull Ring all day about two miles from the camp. Pretty solid but not bad. Home about 3:15PM lunch was at 5PM very Rafferty water seems very scarce here to wash with.

16th Friday - Paraded 10:15AM to Bull Ring, went through trenches parade tonight 6:45PM to trenches night operations, relieving men in trenches and night work in trenches, home at 10:30PM.

17th Saturday - Parade 8AM Bull Ring throwing bombs, bayonet drill all morning. Lectures on trenches and wiring in afternoon. Came back to camp 3:30PM plastered in mud. Weather warmer but mud over boot tops. Lovely big slam (?) supposed to have ... (perhaps started) Thursday, next night operations Friday night. Raining like one thing cold and miserable in trenches. Came home early on account of rain. Tents leak like one thing, everything damp. Wrote letters to Dot, Mum, Uncle, Auntie Winifred, not any letters received here yet from anywhere.

18th Sunday - Fatigue in the morning emptying barrels of slush from Dinks Cookhouse. Issue of cigarettes in the afternoon. Louse inspection, none found on me. Draft leaving tomorrow for the line. Not so cold but very wet tents, ditto.

19th Monday - Paraded to Bull Ring, bayonet fighting charging dummies over trenches. Physical drill morning and afternoon Route March and a lecture on Bombing tactics. [I] find the Scotch instructors best in camp, [the] Tommies do not like us.

20th Tuesday - Paraded 9:15AM went to Bull Ring, musketing, raining all the time. Mud over our boots. Fired 5 rounds deliberate 5 rapid, 5 with masks on. home 12:30PM wet from today, tent, everything wet and miserable.

21st Wednesday - Roll call 6:15AM. Parade Bully Ring, 8:30AM. Bomb throwing and bayonet fighting. Company drill, Tommy instructor for Bayonets, [they were] sulky, no time for them. Only a biscuit for dinner, more growling. No letters. Payday, received 35 Francs.

22nd Thursday - Got an awful cold, barking all the time. Roll call 6:15AM, paraded wash clothes 6:30AM about 3 Miles away. Breakfast about 9AM. Parade for bath 5 minutes in room full of steam, few seconds under warm shower then under cold, ditto. Finished for day, commute Salvation Army tonight. Draft getting ready to go up the line on Saturday.

23rd Friday - Bull Ring, threw dummy bombs out of trenches. Lecture on line, first aid etc. Threw one live bomb. Picket to Etaples at night, dirty little town. Street[s are] cobblestones and mud, very narrow. Electric trams three together like [a] train ... going round corners. All troops out of town 8:15PM.

24th Saturday - Bull Ring, 8AM. Went through gas masks with masks on. Tear shell gas and smoke bombs with box respirations. Two men hurt today throwing live bombs. Officer gassed going through gas trench. Last of first batch 18th left for front early this morning. A.S.C Corps batch left this evening with half an hour notice. Supposed to be [a] review today by Sir Douglas Haig but [he] did not appear, so back to camp today at 2PM. No Letters. (Sir Douglas Haig was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War he commanded the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front from late 1915 until the end of the war, and is a controversial figure as a result of some of his military strategy that led to large casualties.)

25th Sunday - Church parade. Salvation Army in morning which I enjoyed very much. Shifted into another line in [the] afternoon to make room for new draft coming in shortly, 12 in a tent now, jammed, very cold again today.

26th Monday - Bull Ring, throwing dummy bombs. Medical lecture, bomb lecture, musketry lecture and practice in the afternoon with gas helmets on. NZ division supposed to have passed through here last night enroute to the Somme. No letters yet.

27th Tuesday - On quarter guard at 8:30AM one prisoner in klink in the morning, none in the afternoon. Morning; one hour on four hours off in the afternoon, one hour on eight hours off. Adjutant from Sling Camp here is shaking things up, not liked at all (Mitchell). Letter from Winnifred book from Auntie.

28th Wednesday - Came off guard 9AM. C.Os inspection at 9:30AM, also inspection of lines at 11AM. Dinner at 12 got to bed at 12:45PM dead tired, got up for tea. Letter from Win. Big train of wounded went through today from front.