TCD MS 10821 folio 9 recto
[June 8th 1916] quite lost after a while & very dirty, as the soil was chalky & it was raining. I then returned back to Berneville, but the Battalion did not come out till after dark & they had a very wet march as it poured with rain. Poor Kitchener, this sudden death is perhaps best for him as he was at the height of his glory.
June 9th. The Battalion slept & rested most of the day after being eight days in the trenches, but in the afternoon I paid out & had kit inspections. It amused me to watch all the schoolchildren here going to school, each carrying a satchel with a gas helmet, instead of copy books. Poor little mites, I hope the gas will never come here. Old men & women are to be seen working in their gardens & fields at Achicourt where not only are they constantly shelled but where they are under direct rifle fire. Nothing of interest to record. Received my first letters today.
June 10th. Ordinary parades all the morning. The discipline in the Battalion is not good. It is very much New Army I should think. The chief fault is the lack of good NCO’s: there are occasional good ones, but the majority are indifferent. In the afternoon I rode over to Acq about seven miles away to try & see some of our 7th & 8th Bns. On the way I was caught in a heavy thunderstorm & had to stop while it lasted at a small village. On ar[rival]