June 3/18 -
The Hun is doing a lot of [unreadable/missing] fire all over the country. The wild flowers in the fields are beautiful scarlet, yellow & blue. The 61st are moving out as they had severe hits in their lines.
June 4/18 -
Evening shelling around the lines. Hun planes flying very low.
June 5/18 -
66th & 60th heavy shelling - 8 wounded, 4 stretcher bearers - very high velocity stuff.
June 6/18 -
Big Canadian mail but nil for Willie.
June 7/18 -
Very busy - S. rear commotion - prepared water bottles of soda solution for batteries in case of mustard gas.
June 8/18 -
Dry weather continues, a little rain would do a great deal of good. Capt Bailey & I rode to 61st waggon line. Bailey had received a warning to be ready to leave us.
June 9/18 -
Heavy shelling of all batteries. About 2am an armour piercing H.V. 5.9 went through to the orderly room of H.Q. but it was at dark, thank god. 60th - 6 killed.
June 14/18 -
Jumped a lorry to Perne for the officers clothing ordinance. No breaches, no thin underwear. Wrote to Edna.
June 15/18 -
Made rounds at the guns - shelled but no casualties. Huns using our 106 fuse (instantaneous). Very rotten stuff to be near - splinters from H.Q. went through huts at 58th battery. A few whizz-bangs dropped near 61st.
June 17/18 -
While at 66th, the Hun put out 3 air bursts over the valley, just as I was on the hill back of the brigade. Evidently trying for our 60 pounder battery but falling short.
June 18/18 -
I rode over to Div. H.Q. & sent Cpl. Rose to hospital. The 60th battery moved forward to support a big raid on Newton Trench by the Scottish 13th Battalion Royal Scots. We are now under the 17th Corp. 15th Div.
June 20/18 -
Made rounds of all batteries forward in railway culling at H.26, B.5.6. Had dinner at 13th & while there a driver caught a Hun carrier pidgeon with a message in code. Sent it to Div. H.Q.
June 21/18 -
‘Pay’ & I rode to Carency by Berthonval Farm. Saw the Sans en Gobble captive balloon come down in flames - 2 observers dropped in parachutes - looks as if they dropped in Hunland. We found a German skeleton almost complete with the boots on.
June 22/18 -
Made rounds of batteries - a few cases of Influenza - mostly from forward sections where they live in deep dugouts.
June 24/18 -
Quite a number of Influenza cases - short attacks but severe with high temperature, pain in back of eyes and dirty tongue.
June 25/18 -
Epidemic severe - took all day to visit sick.
June 27/18 -
Epidemic very bad in all batteries & all over the country.
June 28/18 -
Pandemic of Influenza. 110 sick. Met Charlie Edward at 15th.
June 29/18 -
127 sick in the lines.
[Editor’s note: Transcription and transcription annotations provided by collection donor; minor formatting changes have been made to layout and to clearly mark transcriber’s annotations.]
