Tuesday 14th September 1915

Bivouac south of Erquinghem.

During the day A Company (Tunstill’s Men), along with B Company, received instruction in the billets of 2^nd Gloucesters at La Rolanderie Farm.

At 6.30pm, A and B Companies moved into the front line trenches, under instruction from 1^st Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, while C and D Companies, having completed their twenty-four period of instruction, returned to their bivouac.

Shortly before the move into the trenches Lt. Robert Stewart Skinner Ingram (see 13^th September) wrote to his mother, reassuring her about the relative safety of the sector, along with other news of recent events:

14th Sept. 1915

Somewhere in Flanders

My darling

There is only time for a very short note now, as I have been censoring all day and later in the evening we move up into the trenches. We began marching early Sunday morning and by noon had reached this spot. Much nicer than the filthy farms we have been used to lately. Had quite an exciting 48 hours. We are about 3,000 yards behind the trenches here. Planes, hostile and otherwise, are almost incessantly overhead. “Archie”, the anti-aircraft gun, is in action about every ¼ of an hour. We have several guns round here, and of course the Hun has also. “Archie” never by any chance seems to hit anything (hence his name). Certainly not. Yesterday was a great day. About 3am the Hun saw fit to make move on our immediate front. Our field is surrounded by batteries very cleverly concealed. About 100 yards on our right there is a battery of RGA. This battery at once came into action, as also did endless others. Lying in a nice warm valise it was quite a pleasant entertainment. (The attack, very minor, was broken in 15 mins). About 8am a Hun saw fit to fly over our field, an ‘Albatross’ I think. “Archie” started firing as a matter of course, but did not get within ½ a mile or so. Then one of our machines seemed to spring out of the earth and engaged the Hun at about 3,000 ft I should say. The Hun turned to fly back to his own lines, but Archie proceeded to put up a curtain of shrapnel between the Hun and safety, so the Hun turned to fight. Immediately over our field and quite low by now the 2 machines opened fire on each other with machine guns. Gradually they rose higher and higher, quite exciting and thrilling. Archie meanwhile kept up the curtain business in great style. He must have fired 40 or 50 rounds. Suddenly the Hun turned on his right wing and began to come down in a sharp right spiral. Our man (rumour has it he was a Frenchman) immediately darted away to the left. He had evidently had enough and was taking no risks of further shots from the dying Hun. The observer, it turned out after, was killed in the air, and the petrol tank pierced. While the Hun was coming down, our man made great circles over him, ready to go for him again, if he managed to prevent himself from coming down. As soon as the machine got near the earth it is said that the Hun fired at a certain Battalion about ½ a mile from us, and behind some trees. Personally I don’t believe he did. However, as soon as the Hun reached ground, he was filled up with lead. This Battalion was returning from a long early morning route march, when all ranks are thoroughly bad-tempered. If he did not fire on the Battalion (and I don’t see how possibly he could have) it seems rather like murder to fill him up instead of making him a prisoner, but everybody who has been out here more than 2 or 3 weeks is extraordinarily callous about life. No doubt we shall be the same. Both Huns were wearing the Iron Cross. All through the fight one knew that if the Hun got back to his lines we should be crumped out of existence in about 10 minutes as he had obviously spotted us, and was going back to tell his guns. This morning I went up to the trenches to reconnoitre the way up. This part of the line is as safe as the Ridgeway. Two of us went up together, on bikes of all things. You can imagine how safe it is when I tell you we rode up to within 100 yards of Shaftesbury Avenue before dismounting. ‘SA’ is our communicating trench. Tom probably knew this actual trench which lies but 1 ½ miles south of the town where he was all last winter. I biked in yesterday afternoon but failed to see the chemist or his two beautiful daughters (see 9^th September).

This is a glorious life. I can’t remember ever having enjoyed 3 weeks more in my life than these last 3 weeks. For the last week the weather has been blazing hot after the wet. The heat is bad for marching, of course, but nothing troubles me much these days somehow. Will you please thank Kate for the letter which came yesterday. During the whole time I have been out I have not had a blank day yet as far as letters have been concerned. I’ll write to Kate soon. 

Thank you very much for the lamp and football which came a day or two ago. The men have already used the ball quite a lot and enjoy it greatly. 

Will you please send this on to Mrs. Wilson. I must write to her.

Somehow this has been a good deal longer than I intended. In 1 ¼ hours the trenches. Each platoon goes up on its own. Hope I don’t lose any men on the way up. There is only one spot in the very least dangerous and that I know, so we are quite alright. Another Battalion on this bit of line lost 4 men in 3 months. That is an absolute and exact fact.

Much love darling

Your ever loving son

Robert

PS Can’t read this all through again, so please excuse slips.

‘Kate’ was one of Ingram’s older sisters and ‘Mrs. Wilson’ the mother of his friend 2Lt. Laurence Cecil Wilson, who had died of wounds (see 12^th August). 

Lt. Dick Bolton (see 13^th September) recalled how, “the Battalion went into the front line trenches just in front of Bois Grenier village, moving super-cautiously up Shaftesbury Avenue, the communication trench, lest the enemy should hear it. Awaiting us was a regular battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, which remained a day or two, to initiate the newcomers in the gentle art of trench warfare, but it was a relief when they moved out; being many over strength there was too little room for the 10^th Dukes alone in that particular Battalion front”.

At 8pm, orders were received at Battalion HQ for the Battalion to take over the front line trenches on the night of 15^th/16^th September.

At home in Hellifield, Mary Hoar, wife of Pte. Sydney Hoar (see 8^th September 1914) gave birth to the couple’s second child; the boy would be named Maurice.