The Regimental War Diary
1/16th London Regiment (Queen’s Westminster Rifles)
1914
25th Dec No war today. Much conversation with enemy between trenches. The 107th Regiment opposite us. Trenches strongly held. Their men of good military age for the most part though few very young ones. Seemed happy and healthy and well fed. Some, however, were despondent and some said they were just outside Paris having been brought up the line in closed railway carriages. They also believed the Germans were occupying London. [c.f. letter written by Pte. Morley – I think he mentions guards and Buckingham Palace ? ]
Casualties- 0 Missing – 3
1915 [The QWR are in trenches named ORDER HOUSES]
6th Oct On the 6th the Battalion was relieved at night by the 2nd Sherwood Ferrestors and went into billets at Popperinghe.
7th Oct In billets
8th Oct ½ were in billets and ½ were in reserve.
11th Oct The whole Battalion went into support trenches. ½ company in Potjize ??? 2 ½ company in x4, x5, Squad 8A [These are, I think map references to places in the trenches.] ?? 1 Platoon in S.Jean.
12th Oct Killed O.R. – 3 Wounded – 2 [O.R. = Ordinary Rank]
13th Oct Wounded – 1 O.R.
14th Another day of the usual shelling
15th A certain amount of shelling all around in usual ??? in trenches.
Casualty – 1 O.R.wounded
16th Enemy ?? shelling and heavy sniping at night.
17th At night battalion went into dug outs in canal ?bomb? with our company in Potijze ??? defences.
Casualty –2 wounded
18th Casualty – O
19th Canal bunch? At night
Casualty – 1 O.R.
20th Casualty – 1 O.R. wounded. ??? at night into Wieltje trenches ??? the Yorks and ?? A8, B9, 10. A company of E.Yorks in 3, 9a.
21st Considerable shelling ?? trenches. Casualty – O Normal day with shelling.
22nd At night Lt.Adams, with Lt. Agate and Rifleman Davidson went out on patrol in front of A8 & B9. Found no abandoned German trench. Lying in shell hole they saw a German ?? which was bombed and sniped.
Casualty – 3 killed, 4 – wounded.
23rd Battalion ?? E.Yorks went into billets at Popperinghe
24th 4 wounded
25th The Battalion moved into camp B
26th Work on cleaning camp B
27th In camp B
28th Camp B cleaning up
29th Battalion went into Poitjze. Section 11 Essex taking on A6, 7 & 1st A + ORDER HOUSES and Warwick Line. Headquarters in ?? and dumps and shelled at night
Casualty – 7 wounded O.R.
30th Fair amount of shelling all around. The parapets suffered and snipers.
Casualty – O
[All written in pencil on very thin exercise book paper with blue lines and margin line too. The last page of the month had a tally of all men accounted for. Only men of rank were mentioned by name except a few Riflemen (i.e. Privates) for example going out on Patrols. Officers Killed or wounded were mentioned by name. The writing was not hurried, but I had trouble reading it, being old fashioned. Some sketches were included of the military ground. ]