Dec. 1 -
Reveille 4:30am but no rations until noon “Beaucoup malade”
Dec. 2nd -
I was feeling sick over nite so went with ambulance as it picked up sick at Adenelle. I walked the last 6 miles to Bois et Borsu - went to bed.
Dec. 3rd -
Moved off at 9am to Verlaine - country very beautiful & my bilious attack passed. Diffiuclty with ambulance support.
Dec. 4th -
The worst day of this trip. Travelled all day in the rain without rations or fodder. Arrived at a vacant Chateau on edge of Chevron, tired, wet & hungry.
Dec. 5th -
Spent all day visiting batteries.
Dec. 6th -
Up 5:30 moved off up the valley - rations arrived last nite, at Arbefontaine.
Dec. 7/18 -
Left at dawn & after 4hrs travel through pretty hilly country - reached the German frontier & entered into Prussia. Frontier marked with black & white spiral painted posts. The absence of flags & sign of celebration was noticeable. Reached Recht & billetted - the people are civil & that’s all.
Dec. 8th -
Away at daybreak - arrived Wirtzfeld about 3:30. The people do not show themselves as we pass through but the billets are good and one would never think we were in a hostile country.
Dec. 9th -
Started again early - road terrible - had to shoot a dray horse that had played out.
Dec. 10th -
Moved from Wildenburg to Kommern. Everyone fed up - had to shoot 3 more.
Dec. 11th -
Early again but went through Rhine Valley. Arrived Weilerwist - men in H.Q. raised a fuss over billet in old Hun prisioner cage.
Dec. 12th -
Left 7am to huge barracks in Redenkirchen, outskirts of Cologne
Fri. Dec. l3th -
Rained all day which rather spoiled the ‘Triumphant Crossing’ of the Rhine, but a wonderful day nonetheless. We were the 1st field artillery across. Arrived Ostheim - mix-up with 60th over billets.
Dec. 14th -
58th & 60th here. 61st & DAC outskirts of Cologne. 66th about 8 miles East.
Dec. 15th -
Made rounds of 3 Batteries 7 DAC. Cologne quite a lively town all lighted up & stores open. 60th officers & I in the Kasierhof until APM pinched house.
Dec. 16th -
went to find an office - found wonderful bathes.
Dec. 17th -
Unpacked [Maltese?] Cart & started up an office.
Dec. 19th -
Capt.Bindon & went shopping - still looking for a microscope with an oil immersion lense - no luck.
Dec. 20th -
Brigade H.Q. moved to Kalk - big improvement
Dec. 23 -
Batteries put out over the falling through of Brigades Xmas dinner. A letter came through from Gen. Dodds concerns Kaesering affair - made me so mad I couldn’t sleep.
Dec. 24th -
Town full of drunks - packed them into Guard room near bridge.
Dec. 25th -
All officers of H.Q. rode to all betteries. Had great difficulty with Capt. Bindon as he wanted to shoot up the people in our billet.
Dec. 26th -
Things quietened down in the mess.
Dec. 27th -
Heard that Cologne is now out of bounds to Canadians - great indignation as it’s thought Imperial was largely responsible.
Dec. 30th -
Fed up with this place - nothing to do & every place out of minds. Wrote a long letter to Dr. Fraser.
Dec. 31th -
Quite a number of drunks - ‘Pay’ Bindon went off on a spree again.
End
[Editor’s note: Transcription and transcription annotations provided by collection donor; minor formatting changes have been made to layout and to clearly mark transcriber’s annotations.]
