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Excerpts from the Great War Diary 1915-1916 of my maternal Grandfather, Ernest Walter Cooke (1895-1949)
NB The Diary is written in soft pencil on poor quality paper in a French “Agenda” (diary)(hence the saints’ days for each entry), and some entries are, nearly a century later, somewhat challenging to decipher. Some were also in shorthand. I have excerpted the more interesting entries for posting. The notes were added by me. The first section represents a list inside the front cover and presumably is a list of presents received at Christmas 1914 during his service in the Royal Medical Corp . ( Army Number 33527) Christmas Pres Parcel Cake & Tin Gold Flake Percy Iddon Black Cat Cig Box Uncle Tom1 Parcel Preserved fruit & Gold Flake Rev C St G Toole Cake, mince pies Cigs etc Home Pants, helmet, mitts, socks, Handkerchief, chocolates, peppermints, Flea powder, Vaseline, (indecipherable word) Powder Gold Flake, Oxo, Night Lights, cake & Triumph Papers & 2 Books Home 1 Possibly (George) Thomas Edmands (1875-1938), younger brother of his mother Fanny Cooke (née Edmands) 1867 -1938). 1915 JANVIER 12. MARDI Ste Césarine Tozer, Daniels, Jeffrey, Allom, Lupiniere, Freeman, Venables, Johns, Baylis. S & Read set sail for France. W.N. Monck rejected for teeth. MARS 5. VENDREDI S. Adrien Went to Le Touquet by Motor Amb. With S M Tryman & QMS Springett2 2 Presumably “Sergeant Major” and “Quartermaster Sergeant” 13. SAMEDI Ste Euphrasie Commencement of advancement near Ypres causing great stress of work over 300 admissions3. 3. In fact the action was a limited British Expeditionary Force offensive at Neuve-Chapelle in north-eastern France, some 20 odd miles south of Ypres. Ernest, a member of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC, ) was, as will become clearer in later entries, working at a base hospital near Boulogne to which troops able to be moved for treatment were evacuated. This “limited” offensive cost 11,500 British casualties over the four days it lasted. Although Ernest does not mention precisely where he was based at this time, his reference to Captain Fairley (see November 9th 1915 note) and the entry for 1st March 1916 and the note in Appendix 3 suggest that he served with the said Captain at 11th General Hospital in Boulogne which occupied the Imperial Hotel. 16. MARDI Ste Octavie L North called in on his way back from St Omer (?) (next comment written in shorthand: “where he went to join a field ambulance”) 12 deaths. 17. MERCREDI S. Patrice Saw French Destroyer Yatagan Armed Liner Jehanne H.S Valdovia 22. LUNDI Ste Léa Lantern Lecture St Jons (sic) Ch Boulogne4 (next comment apparently written in shorthand “Life on rather placid low”) 4 St John the Evangelist was one of the Anglican churches in Boulogne sur Mer: no longer in existence. 29. LUNDI S. Eustase Saw H.M.S. Cruiser “Venture”5 Lantern Lecture St Johns 5 Must refer to ‘HMS Adventure’ which was a British scout cruiser of this period. AVRIL 2 VENDREDI Vendredi-Saint Good Friday Arrival of Lt Col J.H. Campbell 5. LUNDI Ste Irène Departure of Col Starr to 7 Div A D M S6 6Assistant Director Medical Services 18 DIMANCHE S. Parfait Capture of Hill 607 7Hill 60, located around three miles south-east of Ypres, is not a natural feature, but was made from the spoil removed during the construction of the railway line nearby. Its relative height above the flat landscape gave it great strategic value. It was re-taken by the Germans three weeks later using gas. 21. MERCREDI S. Anselme Moved to New Hut. 25. DIMANCHE S. Marc Canadian Attack Second Battle of Ypres8 8The 1st Canadian Division in fact rather than attack as such, actually beat back a massive German attack (improvising gasmasks soaked in water or urine) in the battle which lasted from 22nd April to 25th May. The well known poem “In Flanders Fields” was written during the battle by a Canadian medical officer Lt Col John McCrea MD. 26. LUNDI S. Glet Put in application for move to Clearing Hpl.9 9The application if successful, would have moved Ernest from the comparative safety of a base hospital to just behind the fighting front & as such much more vulnerable especially to artillery fire. MAI 17. LUNDI S. Pascal Arrival of Pte Iddon from 14 Genl11 Departure of Cpl Amies (Von Tup) Am now Senior Clerk. 11Ie 14th General Hospital, based at Wimereux 18. MARDI S. Venant Arrival of new draft including 4 new clerks. Pte Miller “ McElliott “ Malyon “ Verran Pte McElliott went on night duty. 20. JEUDI S. Bernardin Take up quarters in Clerks Barrack Room over Officers Mess. 28. VENDREDI S. Germain Miller went on Night Duty. JUIN 4. Vendredi Ste Emma Went on River12 Adm. 33 12The River Liane presumably, which flows through Boulogne-sur-Mer. 6. DIMANCHE S. Claude King Albert’s arrival13 3 Admissions. 13King Albert I of Belgium (1875-1934 r1900-1934) 12. SAMEDI Ste Olympe Arrival of Sgt Green from 16 Genl Le Trepot15 15ie 16th General Hospital at Le Tréport: passed over to US Army in 1917. 14. LUNDI S. Rufin Departure of Sgt Webberley Received wristlet watch from Home for 20th Birthday.16 16His actual birthday was 16th June: see entry below 15. MARDI S. Modeste Verran’s Birthday. Had rough house in Clerks Mess. Had letters from home saying Mother17 was not well. Number in Hpl 119 17Fanny Cooke (née Edmands) (1867-1938) 16. MERCREDI S. Cyr My 20th Birthday. 22. MARDI S. Alban Gramophone in Office. 23. MERCREDI S. Jacob Sgt Barron got mentioned in Despatches. Bathe 28. LUNDI S. Irénée Departure of Younger (steam?)& Nobby Clark to 4. Divn. JUILLET 1 JEUDI S. Thibaut Bathe 6.0 Just begun to float 2. VENDREDI Visit. De N.-Dame Sea bathe 6.0 am bon Sea bathe 3.0 pm tres bon Saw hydroplane Was paid 10 francs18 S.H. 19 for Tea with Pte Iddon Just swimming. 18At this date 10 francs was worth very roughly 7/6 or 37 ½ p. Its purchasing power in 2012 is very approximately £16.20 19Soldiers Home (see below Sunday 4th) 4. DIMANCHE Ste Berthe Swim @ 6.0 am & 2.30 pm tres bon Iddon ill. Soldiers Home for tea. Weather hot about 100o shade. Saw a fight between German sub & French Patrol Boat. Sub sunk. 6. MARDI Ste Colombe Swim 6.0 am Rough sea Soldiers Home 4.0 pm avec Iddon 5. MERCREDI S. Elie Swim 6.0 am Very Rough Sea Lt Woolfenden made Captain. Pte Stewart 21 to-day. 8. JEUDI Ste Virginie First day of isolation No patients admitted or discharged. Too rough for swim. S.H. etc Col Campbell S.F. Harrold & Bartley go on leave. Lt Ferguson appointed San. Officer. 9. VENDREDI S. Cyrille Still isolated. No patients admitted or discharged. Swim at 6.0 am Inoculated (Full dose) Parade 9.0 am 130 in Hospital. 10. SAMEDI Ste Félicité Sick with inoculation. Off duty from dinner time. Went to S.H. @ 7.0 pm Parade at 12.15 11. DIMANCHE S. Norbert Still a bit seedy Parade at 9.0 am Still isolated 14. MERCREDI Fête Nationale Bathe 6.0 am & 1.0 pm Route March 3.0 pm (Raining) 15. JEUDI S. Henri No Bathe Parade 9.0 am Started taking Nephritis cases only Still isolated Harrold returns S.H. @ 6.0 pm Oxo(?) Malyon & McEllyott inoculated 16. VENDREDI S. Simon No Bathe 9.0 am Parade Paid 10 francs. Good tea at S.H. with Iddon @ 3.0 pm (Raining) Still isolated Return of Col Campbell from 7 days leave Lincolns20 passed through. 20Presumably a Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment 17. SAMEDI S. Alexis Parade 12.15 pm (raining) Som L I21passed through 21Presumably a Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry(Prince Albert’s). These & the Lincolns were possibly moving into position for the Battle of Loos which was launched about 8/9 weeks later and in which both earned battle honours. 19. LUNDI S. Vincent de Paul 6.0 am Bathe 9.0 Parade Worcesters23 passed through S.H. @ 7.0 pm 23See note above: the Worcestershire Regiment also gained Loos battle honours. 20. MARDI Ste Marguerite 6.0 am Swim 9.0 Parade Canadians passed through also Wilts24 S.H. @ 3.0 pm Iddon wrote Thompson. 24The Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh’s) again had Loos battle honours. However the Canadians were more likely to be on their way into the Ypres sector at this point as they were not involved at Loos. 22. JEUDI Ste Madeleine Bathe 6.0 am Saw British Destroyer “F” Type Discharged first lot of patients S.H. 3.0 pm Canteen & Waterbottle Parade 9.0 am 23. VENDREDI S. Apollinaire Bathe 6.0 am Reopened S.H. 7.0 pm (shorthand phrase) Sgt Barron went on leave Parade 9.0 am 24. SAMEDI Ste Christine Waterproof sheet parade 12.15 pm 25. DIMANCHE S. Christophe 7.0 am duty British Aeroplane passed over. No 9.0 am Parade 27. MARDI Ste Nathalie No swim S.H. 7.0 pm & Stewart & Iddon Weighed 10 stone 2 lbs 28. MERCREDI S. Samson No Swim Fire Practice @ 11.30 am Carrying patient etc Pte Bailey ad (shorthand phrase follows “carrying crabs” (?)) etc Saw Wainwright (shorthand phrase follows “going on leave”) 29. JEUDI Ste Marthe No Swim General Inspection by Major General Sawyer DDMS25 Boulogne @ 10.45 am French Military Band (shorthand phrase follows) @ 3.0 pm Oxo ad to Hospital 25Deputy Director Medical Services 30. VENDREDI Ste Juliette Swim 6.0 am No scrubbing out Swim 12.0 noon S.H. 3.0 pm Paid 10f. Sgt Barron returned from leave 12.0 m/n Height 6.0 feet |
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Have posted a picture of Ernest Cooke in 1915
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