Tuesday 7th December 1915

Front line trenches east of Bois Grenier.

The weather remained dull and wet. At 11.30 am the British artillery began to shell the German lines; the War Diary reported that, “Much good work was done, the detonation satisfactory and very effective. The enemy retaliated feebly, about 40 shells: 4.5 and whizz bangs only”. A German aeroplane was later spotted flying over the British lines. Overnight conditions were described as “exceptionally quiet”.

View from the tower of Bois Grenier Church, taken the Winter of 1915-16 by Cpt. H.L. Oakley, 8th Yorkshires, who would relieve 10DWR at the end of their current tour in the trenches.
Photo reproduced by very kind permission of Jerry Rendell; for more on the fascinating story of Capt. Oakley, see Jerry's excellent book, Profiles of the First World War.

 

Mary Stott, sister of Pte. Barker Stott who had died in November 1915 (see 27^th November), wrote, on behalf of her father, to Lt. Robert Stewart Skinner Ingram (see 19^th November) in response to a letter which he had clearly sent to the family regarding Pte. Stott’s death:

Miss M.E. Stott

14 Gladstone Street

Keighley

Dear Sir

I write these few lines to thank you for the kind sympathy you have sent us. It was a hard blow for us but it is a comfort to hear how you liked him. He was a good lad at home and it makes our hearts ache to think of him, though it is only what a lot more are going through. I wish the war were over and you were safely at home. We have another lad serving in France. Thanking you once again.

Good night and God bless you all.

Mr. John Stott

Pte. Barker Stott