TCD MS 10823 folio i recto
Some Experiences as a Prisoner of War in Germany [1918]
The Battalion, whose tragic fate I am about to relate, had come out to France early in 1915. It saw its first fighting near Ypres, suffering heavy losses in the first flame attack at Hooge in July 1915. The next fighting it took part in was the Battle of Loos in September 1915. During the winter the battalion moved closer South to Arras, taking over a new bit of line from the French & where here there it remained until the Somme battle fighting, in the Summer of 1916, where it it took part in the heavy fighting at the capture of Delville Wood in August & again on September 15th on the big attack on Flers, where use was made of tanks for the first time. The Battalion then returned to Arras where it had a quiet time until the battle of Arras in April 1917 where it greatly distinguished itself in the capture of The “Harp”. It saw more fighting in May near Wancourt, after which it had a short rest, & then went North once more to the Ypres salient, where in August it took part in the fighting around Inverness Copse; in October it was at [Polderhock] & in December in Passchendaele.
The beginning of 1918 saw the battalion enjoying a short rest, after which it was sent South again to hold part of the new line taken over from The French South of St Quentin.
The Sector was a quiet one, but no training was possible for the men, since as soon as they were out of the line, they were taken for working parties, digging new lines of trenches & strong points, for which afterwards there were no men to hold. If only some of the labour had been used for burying telephone cables – for the whole defence of this very weakly held sector depended on accurate information being forthcoming, part of the awful disaster of March 21st might have been avoided & our artillery might have been given a chance.