11th November 1914 At 9am the Dorsets report “considerable shelling by German light guns”. So much so that D Company withdrew from their positions. No casualties were reported. The shellfire died away in the afternoon. The German light gun was very possibly the 7.7cm FK 96 n.A. It was light and mobile and saw much action during the […]
9th November 1914 It was yet another day in the line, similar to the previous day, except that the intermittent shelling took the first Dorset life since the 22nd October*; Henry Lovatt from Barnes in London. He was 19. Two other Dorset men were wounded. The 11th Brigade counterattacked late in the evening along the eastern edge […]
6th November 1914 Teething baby alert! Although I might have promised more letter stuff tonight I fear the alarm may go off at any minute so it will have to wait until tomorrow. The Dorsets enjoyed, if that’s the word, a quiet morning. Fog seems to have been the main cause of the calmer day – […]
1st November 1914 The Dorsets awoke on a fine Sunday morning, perhaps expecting a nice leisurely breakfast and a stroll around Strazeele. However, at 7.50am they were greeted by a II Corps Staff Officer, Colonel Shoubridge, who announced that they were to be taken away by buses to the front. How dismayed they must […]
30th October 1914 The Dorsets’ war diary is short and sweet for the 30th October 1914. They left behind the mayhem of La Bassée and marched away in heavy rain to Calonne-sur-la-Lys 12 miles away. The receding sound of the guns must have been very sweet to ears of the Dorsets. And today’s post is […]