Family transcript 11: "Great War Diary" pt 3
Third set of excerpts from the Great War Diary 1915-1916 of my maternal Grandfather, Ernest Walter Cooke (1895-1949), commencing November 1915
NOVEMBRE 1 LUNDI Saw Anglia34 convey the King home with four Destroyers Parade 6.30 am 34SS ‘Anglia’ was another Hospital Ship. (NB The original page for November 1st to 4th is missing with relevant entries added to the adjoining pages for those dates: hence the omission of Saints’ Days. However identifying which the Diary would have printed from among the many possibilities, Monday was probably Saints John & James, the other days less certain.) 3. MERCREDI Bed 3.0 pm Verran reports the Gramophone 4. JEUDI Anglia stuck on the rocks Bed 3.0 pm Picture Palaces open (See also entry for 17th) 8. LUNDI S. Godefroy 18th & 19th R L’pools35 pass SA 7.0 pm Cpt Fairley taken ill 35Presumably a reference to the 18th & 19th Battalions of the Kings Regiment (Liverpool) which arrived in France at this time to join the 30th Division.Their first action was the Battle of the Somme the following July. Casualties were very high in the 18th Battalion especially, including the commanding officer. Captain Noel Chavasse, the only man to be awarded two Victoria Crosses in the Great War, was a member of this Regiment and won one of his VCs on the Somme. Ernest’s future brother-in-law, Alfred Dolton, later transferred to this Regiment from the Worcestershire Regiment & was awarded the Military Medal in 1918. 9. MARDI S. Théodore SA 3.0 pm Very rough sea Captain J F Fairley36 died @ 10.0 pm 36Captain James Fairburn Fairley was an Australian Cerebral Surgeon. He died of meningitis caused by typhus. 10. MERCREDI S. Juste Municipal Picture Palace 6.0 pm SA 7.30 pm Sea very rough 12. VENDREDI S. René 2 boats sunk struck mines 18 & 1 saved Capt J F Fairley Funeral start 1.45 7 Sty 13 Genl & 11 Genl 37 18 Died & 1 Moorside Municipal Pictures @ 6.0 pm 37Presumably personnel from these three hospitals attended the funeral. 15. LUNDI Ste Eugénie SA 3.0 pm with Verran & walk with Dasher Thorne 17. MERCREDI S. Aignan H. S. Anglia38 goes down off Dover 85 lost. We sent 21 A 14 B & 10 C39 Mrs Mitchell40 saved Struck a mine SA 3.0 pm 38The ‘Anglia’ was carrying 390 casualties plus medical staff & 56 crew. First reports stated 85 deaths but later estimates range from 120-164 dead including 25 of the crew. Survivors were rescued by both the torpedo gunboat HMS ‘Hazard’ (sunk herself in 1918) and the collier ‘Lusitania’ (not to be confused with the liner of the same name sunk in May 1915) 39Possibly categories of wounded personnel sent from 11th General Hospital on the ship for that trip. 40Possibly the wife of Major Mitchell referred to on November 26th (below). 18. JEUDI S. Octave Very busy HS St Denis arrives first time 19. VENDREDI Ste Elizabeth Stayed (shorthand phrase) Wrote letters (shorthand phrase) Rev AH Ballerine goes to England 22. LUNDI Ste Cécile 16 R War R & Gloucesters41 pass through SA 7.0 pm 41Presumably references to the 16th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and an unidentified battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment. The 16th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment were one of the three “Birmingham Pals” Battalions. The Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment with them was almost certainly the 12th (Service) Battalion (a “Pals” Battalion from Bristol) which was with the 16th Royal Warwickshire in 95th Brigade within the 5th Division. Like most battalions of volunteers from 1914 they had been trained in Britain & first saw action at the Battle of the Somme: though fortunately not until the second phase of the battle, thus escaping the carnage of the opening day. 23. MARDI S. Clément L 7 ws go through S.A. @ 3.0 pm Stewart goes to see Kennedy-Rumford42 In credit £8 -3 -6 42Possibly a reference to a performance by Dame Clara Butt (1872-1936) the famous contralto: though she was not made a Dame until 1920. She gave many performances during the Great War to troops and was occasionally referred to by her married name: she had married the baritone Robert Kennerly Rumford in 1900. 24. MERCREDI Ste Flora Half day 3. 0 pm SA McElliott & Boobyer 7.0 pm Municipal Pictures Stew & Verran 26. VENDREDI Ste Dephine S.A. 3.0 pm Major Mitchell return off leave DECEMBRE 1 MERCREDI S. Eloi Municipal Pictures @ 6.0 pm Arrival of Eaton from Mons 7. MARDI S. Ambroise S.A. 7.0 pm Meeting re Christmas festivities S.M (indecipherable phrase) Cornell Lt Davidson 8. MERCREDI Immaculée Concept. S.A. 3.0 pm Fiddlers gate & quick march 10. VENDREDI Ste Valérie S.A. 3.0 pm Walk over cliffs in mud. Tide up 14. MARDI S. Nicaise S.A. 3.0 pm Stewart Adderley Arrival of 15 Ps & 1 Sgt from Rawalpindi 15. MERCREDI S. Mesmin Municipal Picture Camille Lahaye Booly & Stew 18. SAMEDI S. Gatien Stayed on all day Started “Tetanus Papers” for Capt R G Abercrombie 20. LUNDI S. Gaétan Finished Papers for Capt Aber S.A. 3.0 pm Sgt Barron return off leave. 21. MARDI S. Thomas Barford, Nelson & Huntley* torpedoed43 *All lives lost 12 midnight 20-21/12/15 Verran goes on leave S.A. 3.0 pm 43This entry must be based upon rumours going around at the time as the facts do not bear it out: No British ship was called Barford but the battleship HMS ‘Barham’ did collide with HMS ‘Warspite’ around this time HMS ‘Nelson’ was on this day taking part in the Dardanelles campaign as flagship. She was not torpedoed on this day. The ‘Huntley’ was a captured German spy ship originally named the “Ophelia” masquerading as a Hospital ship. Having transferred to British control, she was indeed torpedoed on this day but only lost 2 crew in this incident. 24. VENDREDI Ste Irma ****** Minstrel Troupe perform @ 5.0 pm Bran Tub in No 5 Ward 25. SAMEDI Noël St John’s @ 7.30 am S.A. @ 8.30 am Service in No 5 Ward @ 9.30 am Arrival of the Olive Christmas Dinner @ 1.0 pm On duty in afternoon Parcel from Matron Miss Lena Ashwell’s party @ 5.15 pm 30. JEUDI S. Roger Walk to Wimereux YMCA @ 4.0 pm |
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