Armageddon Road by Billy Congreve

Author:Billy Congreve [Congreve, Billy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Military, World War I, Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9781473838741
Google: vZ-aBQAAQBAJ
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2014-08-18T04:16:36+00:00

March 23rd 1915

28th March

We are still on our hill and in our château and still Snow sits in Renninghelst. The work has been set into with a will and, already, the place is different and more formidable. We have huge working parties down nightly and thousands of sandbags are filled and laid. The Germans are probably doing the same thing, for everything is fairly quiet and that, combined with a really good moon, makes the work a good deal easier.

The General and I went up to the Brasserie this afternoon. This is a big auberge used by the gunners as an observation post and an excellent one it makes; especially for the Mound and all the trenches as far as the Bois Carré. The Mound is an insignificant thing – about thirty feet high – and is nothing but a broken heap of earth. I could see no signs of sandbags or any work on top of it. St Eloi, what we could see of it, is in a bad way. The German trenches dominate ours in a most extraordinary way all down the line.

Everything is fairly quiet on this front, and now that the weather is so improved everyone is much more cheerful. I hear that some of Kitchener’s Army is coming out very shortly. I suppose that will mean a general advance. Perhaps Cornwall and I will yet dine in London on May 27th! But I must say I doubt it. I remember three months ago we were quite confident of its possibility.

30th March

The General and I met General Chapman16 just outside Dickebusch and walked up across the fields to Voormezeele. We had a look at the dug-outs along the stream, then set out to go up the communications trench to the Bois Confluent. It was bad going – the trench all too shallow. We were a long way from Mr German, but went along doubled-up. We were half-way when some stray bullets came close. A halt was called and General C. said that it was dangerous to go any further. I am sure this was nonsense, but could not very well say so. So we returned, but I stayed behind a bit and got a fair look at the trenches between St Eloi and the wood. I then came back standing upright. There was no more a sniper at work than I thought.

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