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Thursday 10 November 2011

Diary Entry - 10th November, 1916

Walford: Friday, I went to the WL with Bailey who was on his way to Doullens. We took a cut across the fields and had quite a good gallop in the warm sun, which had dried the surface up wonderfully in two days. The horses were not at their best after the work and bad weather they have been through and one horse in my section had pneumonia so the vet destroyed it as it was suffering so. After lunching with the 34th Brigade officers, I returned about four, having taken a circuit towards Acheux, with Murdoch. When I got back, I found that someone had to go up with the ammunition on the train and, as Siggers had gone out for some exercise, I strolled over to Collincam's siding to report to the station master, who I found in a dug out. The train was before time, and the engine unhooked as soon as she arrived and the petrol engine, which was in the middle of the train, started up. I climbed up inside the armoured cab and away we went, making what seemed to me inside a deuce of a row. After leaving the points from the siding, there is a small grade downhill and we fairly accelerated down there. I was beginning to wonder whether anyone had inspected the line to see if any shells had fallen on it. As soon as we stopped, I got out as imagined that by this time all the Bosche guns were concentrated on us. It was a lovely moon light night and very pleasant to be out in. We got all ammunition unloaded without a mishap.

Bee: Went out early, rushing round to Moss's and then to the Carlyle. Met Sam and Gilliard and yarned away. Found Uncle and Ritchie were doing light duty out of town. Ritchie came up in the evening and looks much better than I expected him to be. Heard Unc was taking a draught to Havre tomorrow. Went to the dentist and saw Mrs Philip Russell. Alec and Joan were out. The Russell family are going out to Australia. In the evening we went to the Hippodrome - With Flying Colours!' - and had a good laugh. Little Titch was most amusing and there was one of Bayn's father's sketches, which was very amusing. The characters were true to life.

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