Diary of service on the Western Front, 1914-1915, World War One

Smith, William Douglas

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Title:: Diary of service on the Western Front, 1914-1915, World War One

Collection:: SMITH, Maj Gen Sir William Douglas (1865-1939)

Archive reference:: SMITH, WD 2/2

Catalogue record URL (AtoM):: https://archives.kingscollections.org/index.php/smith-wd-2-2

Level of description:: Item

Date of material:: 31 Oct 1914 - 22 Apr 1915

Creator:: Smith, William Douglas

Source collection title:: SMITH, Major General Sir William Douglas (1865-1939)

Extent:: 1 volume

Description (scope):: Manuscript copy diary relating to Smith’s command of 9 Infantry Brigade in 3 Division, 2 Corps, British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front, 31 Oct 1914 – 22 Apr 1915, including: the First Battle of Ypres, Nov 1914, with the loss of many named officers serving under Smith; a visit to the troops by King George V, 3 Dec 1914; the waterlogged state of trenches near Kemmel, Belgium, Dec 1914; a demonstration of grenade throwing, 20 Dec 1914, and thoughts on the difficulty of deploying hand grenades from trenches; reference to a meeting of British and German troops on Christmas Day, 25 1914, and Smith's disapproval; initiatives to improve conditions in trenches, Jan 1915; demonstration of a mortar to be used from a trench, 16 Jan 1915; the execution of two deserters, 6 Feb 1915; the deployment of miners from Britain to undermine German trenches, 19-24 Feb 1915; a German counter-attack, 11 Mar 1915, Battle of Neuve Chapelle, with heavy Allied casualties; details of material used to improve trenches, 25 Mar 1915; frequent criticism of British press coverage of the war, Apr 1915. Also inserted items, including: press cuttings chiefly relating to Smith’s promotions; account of 1 Royal Scots Fusiliers’ operations at Jemappes, 23 Aug 1914, by Captain Thomas Balfour Traill; a detailed account by Smith of 9 Infantry Brigade operations during early Nov 1914, First Battle of Ypres; sketch maps and accounts relating to 9 Infantry Brigade operations, Nov 1914; a letter from Clara Barton, mother of Lieutenant Harold William Ferguson Barton (died 18 Oct 1914), quoting a letter from a German officer praising her son’s bravery; illustrated manuscript poem, ‘New Year’s Eve in the Trenches’, possibly by Major Athol [Athel, Atholl] Murray Hay Forbes, [1914]; letters of praise about 9 Infantry Brigade from Field Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, Commander of 5 Corps, and Lieutenant General Sir Charles Fergusson, Commander of 2 Corps, Feb 1915; programme for a concert by personnel of 9 Infantry Brigade, 9 Mar 1915.

Copyright:: Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied from open material for research purposes only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, via the Archives.; King's College London Archives

Full text

made it darker I decided to leave one company out of the dug outs that night, & not to put them in the next morning at 7am. Three companies had by dint of much scrambling & falling managed to get into the dug outs & the fourth company was left out. Punctually at 7am next morning I began to get the 4th Company into their places when no sooner had we started than the Germans began shelling just 2 hours before they usually began - everybody then got away under cover as soon as possible. I got into a hole with Captain Barrett until we could get an opportunity of getting to our proper places & after a bit we got back after a bit of dodging. As soon as I got to my own headquarters the shelling began harder than ever enormous shells were flying about & high trees were falling - this uproar went on for 3 hours - a good many men being wounded in feet & legs which they could not tuck in inside their dug outs. Luckily none of the big shells fell on my dug out - all this time we were in a wood & the reverberation of explosives was were intensified. As soon as the shelling stopped wounded men

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