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Description: | Eight ms diaries (613pp) covering the period September 1915 - July 1919, written by a young officer serving with 5th Battalion Seaforth Highlanders before being commissioned into 3rd Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs), crossing to France (October 1915), appointed a platoon commander in 'D' Company, 8th Battalion The Buffs (17th Infantry Brigade, 24th Division) on the Ypres Salient, near Hill 60 and St Eloi, taking part in bombing courses, becoming a bombing instructor at the Divisional Bombing School (December 1915), rejoining his battalion and appointed Battalion Grenade Officer (February 1916), courses at the Divisional Technical School, promotion to Lieutenant (May 1916), details of a trench raid (June 1916), wounded by a shell and evacuation to England (July 1916), awarded the Military Cross for his part in the raid, invested by King George V, rejoining 8th Buffs near Givenchy and made acting Captain in command of 'C' Company (September 1916), spells in the trenches at Loos (September - December 1916), a German trench raid (January 1917), capturing a German prisoner, witnessing the Canadian assault on Vimy Ridge (April 1917), occupying captured German trenches, the Battle of Messines and being wounded going over the top near Battle Wood (June 1917), evacuation to England, posting to the command depot at Seaford, Sussex (July 1917), a dull spell at the regimental depot in Dover (July - November 1917), posting to 1st Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) (16th Infantry Brigade, 6th Division) (December 1917), a course at the 3rd Army Infantry School (January 1918), 8th Buffs disbanded and many merged with 1st Battalion (February 1918), the German Spring Offensive (March 1918), withdrawing and posting to the Ypres Salient, withdrawal to Ypres, experiencing gas shelling (May 1918), appointed Adjutant (August 1918), posting to an Adjutant's course at the 2nd Army Central School at Wisques (August - October 1918), rejoining 1st Buffs at Pommereuil, the Armistice, marching through Belgium (November - December 1918), entering Germany with descriptions of the German soldiers and civilians, based in Vettweiss near Cologne, reductions of the number of men in the Battalions and moving to Sinzenich (January - May 1919), returning to England and the welcome from the citizens of Canterbury (May 1919), with details of his duties, training, home leave, opinions of Australian and Canadian troops, praise for American troops and contempt for some Portuguese troops.
Cataloguer RWAS | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Subjects: | 1st Battalion East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) 8th (Service) Battalion British Army 16th Infantry Brigade 17th Infantry Brigade 24th Division 3rd (Reserve) Battalion 6th Division | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Foster Hall, Eric | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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